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.
n
Chronic
Bronchitis and Emphysema—Nearly 4.8 million people with chronic bronchitis and nearly 2.3 million
with emphysema live in counties with unhealthful ozone levels. Over 1.9 million
people with chronic bronchitis and over 917,000 with emphysema live in counties
with unhealthful levels of short-term particle pollution. Nearly 573,000 million
people with chronic bronchitis and more than 268,000 with emphysema live in
counties with unhealthful year-round levels of particle pollution.n Cardiovascular
Disease—Over
15.9 million people with cardiovascular diseases live in counties with
unhealthful levels of short-term particle pollution; nearly 4.7 million live in
counties with unhealthful levels of year-round particle pollution.
Cardiovascular diseases include coronary heart disease, heart attacks, strokes,
hypertension and angina pectoris.
n Diabetes—Over 3.9 million people with
diabetes live in counties with unhealthful levels of short-term particle pollution;
over 1.2 million live in counties with unhealthful levels of year-round
particle pollution. Research indicates that because diabetics are already at higher
risk of cardiovascular disease, they may face increased risk due to the impact
of particle pollution on their cardiovascular systems.
Poverty—Over 20 million people with
incomes meeting the federal poverty definition live in counties with
unhealthful levels of ozone. Over 9.3 million people in poverty live in
counties with unhealthful levels of short-term particle pollution, and nearly
3 million live in counties with unhealthful year-round levels of particle
pollution. Evidence shows that people who have low incomes may face higher risk from air pollution.
