Recent studies show that more than half the nation’s population lives in areas with frighteningly high levels of air pollution. According to Charles D. Connor, president and CEO of the American Lung Association, “Six out of ten Americans live in areas dirty enough to send people to the emergency room, to shape how kids’ lungs develop, and even dirty enough to kill.” An astonishing 40 million people live in regions where the air quality has failed every test.
The problem of air pollution is often overshadowed by the threat of global warming and the idea of energy independence. Although our nation has witnessed improvements over the past decade, the problem still poses as a major, lingering threat. Ozone pollution causes inflammation by burning the lining of the airways. It is also known to cause shortness of breath, chest pain when inhaling, wheezing and coughing, and even severe asthma attacks. Even short-term pollution can be deadly due to lung disease, heart attacks, and stroke.
Fargo, North Dakota, was named as the nation’s cleanest city overall due to its passing grade in all three areas of air pollution. These categories consist of ozone pollution, year-round particle pollution and short-term particle pollution. Los Angeles, on the other hand, was given the title of the nation’s dirtiest city.
According to Connor, possible solutions to our nation’s air pollution problem consist of using less electricity, driving less, and avoiding the burning of wood or trash.
Information acquired from:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20090430/hl_hsn/morethanhalfofamericanslivingwithdirtyair;_ylt=AgJu5hFzA8×9gDFx_DLvZTBpl88F
Image taken from AP Images
It seems that finding alternative sources of energy solve many more problems than we think. Most importantly,it helps to prevent global warming, but it also will help solve things like the problem of dirty air that is looked over in comparison to bigger global issues. This article is very enlightening, and shows how “going green” will not only help the environment, but help us live healthier lives as humans.