Majority of Americans exposed to dangerous air pollution levels
May is Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month, and to commemorate the occasion, we focus today on a major cause of asthma and other respiratory illnesses in this country: air pollution.
Unfortunately, outdoor air quality continues to be a major problem in the U.S. In its annual report State of the Air 2010, the American Lung Association reveals that while air quality has improved in many areas, approximately 58 percent of Americans—that’s over 175 million people—currently live in communities with dangerous air pollution levels. To learn more about your community’s air quality, see their report at www.stateoftheair.org.
The biggest causes of air pollution are coal-fired power plants, emissions from diesel engines, and industrial smokestacks from chemical plants, refineries, and factories. Particulate matter from diesel exhaust and coal, for example, are tiny particles in the air–some dark enough to be seen as soot or smoke, but some too small to be visible to the naked eye. These tiny particles, when inhaled, can reach the deepest regions of the lungs, which can cause such health effects as asthma, shortness of breath, and chronic bronchitis. Children and the elderly are particularly at risk.
