From The American Lung Association

State of the Air

People at risk

Looking at the nation as a whole,

The American Lung Association State of the Air 2011 finds—

n Roughly half the people (50.3%) in the United States live in counties that have unhealthful levels of either ozone or particle pollution.

Almost 154.5 million Americans live in the 366 counties where they are exposed to unhealthful levels of air pollu­tion in the form of either ozone or short-term or year-round levels of particles.

n Nearly half the people in the United States (48.2%) live in areas with unhealthful levels of ozone.

Counties that were graded F for ozone levels have a com­bined population of almost 148.1 million. These people live in the 338 counties where the monitored air quality places them at risk for decreased lung function, respiratory infec­tion, lung inflammation and aggravation of respiratory illness. The actual number who breathe unhealthy levels of ozone is likely much larger, since this number does not include people who live in adjacent counties in metropolitan areas where no monitors exist.

n Nearly one in five (19.8%) of people in the United States live in an area with unhealthful short-term levels of particle pollution.

Nearly 61 million Americans live in 76 counties that ex­perienced too many days with unhealthy spikes in particle pollution, a decrease from the last report. Short-term spikes in particle pollution can last from hours to several days and can increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and emergen­cy-room visits for asthma and cardiovascular disease, and most importantly, can increase the risk of early death.

n Over 18.5 million people (6%) in the United States live in an area with unhealthful year-round levels of particle pollution.

These people live in areas where chronic levels are regularly a threat to their health. Even when levels are fairly low, exposure to particles over time can increase risk of hospi­talization for asthma, damage to the lungs and, significantly, increase the risk of premature death.

n Roughly one in 17 people—more than 18.5 million in the United States—live in 10 counties with unhealthful levels of all three: ozone and short-term and year-round particle pollution.

With the risks from airborne pollution so great, the Ameri­can Lung Association seeks to inform people who may be in danger. Many people are at greater risk because of their age or because they have asthma or other chronic lung disease, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes. The following list identifies the numbers of people in each at-risk group.

n People with Asthma—Approximately 3.2 million children and nearly 9.5 million adults with asthma live in parts of the United States with very high levels of ozone. Over 3.8 million adults and over 1.2 million children with asthma live in areas with high levels of short-term particle pollu­tion. Nearly 1.1 million adults and over 339,000 children with asthma live in counties with unhealthful levels of year-round particle pollution.

n  Older and Younger—Nearly 17.4 million adults age 65 and over and nearly 37 million children age 18 and under live in counties with unhealthful ozone levels. Nearly 7 million se­niors and nearly 15.5 million children live in counties with unhealthful short-term levels of particle pollution. Over 2 million seniors and nearly 5 million children live in counties with unhealthful levels of year-round particle pollution.

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