Report: Air Not Fit to Breathe for 60 Percent of U.S. Population

Report: Air Not Fit to Breathe for 60 Percent of U.S. Population
A new State of the Air report finds air pollution levels at unhealthy levels in almost every major city in the country.
By Leah Zerbe

http://www.rodale.com/print/808
http://www.rodale.com/most-polluted-cities?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2009_04_29-_-Top5-_-NA

04-29-09 RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Six out of every 10 people in this country are breathing air so contaminated it endangers their lives, according to the American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2009 report. “This should be a wake-up call. We know that air pollution is a major threat to human health,” says Stephen J. Nolan, chair of the American Lung Association National Board. “When 60 percent of Americans are left breathing air dirty enough to send people to the emergency room, to shape how kids’ lungs develop, and to kill, [then] air pollution remains a serious problem.”

THE DETAILS: For the tenth annual report, researchers examined air quality reports from U.S. counties that monitor pollution, looking at ozone and particle pollution. They found that more than 186 million people live in counties where outdoor air pollution levels receive an “F” grade. About 40.5 million people live in U.S. counties where outdoor air failed all three tests.

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