The air pollution threat may be invisible, but it is real-we know it can
sicken, and we know it can kill," said Carolyn Wisniewski, Vice President
for the American Lung Association of Pennsylvania. Wisniewski estimated
that
about 400,000 persons with chronic lung disease and nearly 900,000 people
with heart disease were at special risk from air pollution in the 5-count=

Southeastern Pennsylvania area.
"A large study released this month in the New England Journal of Medicine
documented that children living in polluted areas have a five fold greate=

risk of decreased lung function," said Dr. Joel Chinitz with Philadelphia
Physicians for Social Responsibility. "This impairment occurred
independent
of asthma or smoking."

and even the lawyers I believe don't know the extent
=A0I feel the effects every day I am to compre and go to different
cities
This is murder =A0and those responsible are getting rich while murdering
people at the same time
are living in area with f rated air, =A0we are 12th worse this year for
asthma, according to a link someone gave, though 2008 is not even
over. 2007 we were second worse in nation and year before first worse
in the nation for asthma and worse for respiratory illness and
death... . most depression then every city in nation, an area with
most childhood cancers, most prescribed meds was for asthma, most
missed days for school kids was because asthma, most hospitalization
for kids was asthma,,900,000 people at risk for heart disease because
of pollution, 400,000 at risk for respiratory disease because of
pollution, 5 times worse risk for respiratory disease, then average,
where people have much more cancer and heart disease, where -
Pennsylvania's power plants are worst in the nation for arsenic
emissions and are third worst for lead and chromium emissions,
according to a study released locally by Clean Air
Council.Pennsylvania's coal-fired power plants - two of which are in
the Philadelphia suburbs - produce most of the state's 5.7 tons of
mercury emitted each year. Pennsylvania is second behind Texas in the
amount of mercury released from power plants and other sources, such
as factories, and accounts for 10 percent of mercury emissions total
nationwide, according to 2003 federal data.Mercury is a toxin that is
incredibly dangerous. It is basically cumulative, in that once it gets
into your body, it stays there, and just keeps building up, and leads
to all sorts of bad outcomes. Of course, industry is -surprise!-
against this. This is another reason why nationally they don't have to
worry if they can impose the pollution on certain regions if the rest
of the country gets better. The worse things are except those who try
to keep suing, most people in our area ignore the implications .
Philadelphia is a city that has the fewest days or one othe most
fewest days =A0of clean air then every city in the nation and it gotten
worse in the last few years. We use to have something like 30 percent
good air days ( full) now its like 18 percent of the time. =A0This is
another reason asthma is so bad . They don't have to tell you that
fact they just say we don't have the most pollution . Finally we have
the most crime then every city in the nation, =A0Americans in Eastern
U.S. Breathing More Soot, while Stricter Local and State Controls Drop
Pollution in West
NEW YORK NY, May 1, 2007=97For the first time since the American Lung
Association began issuing its annual air quality report card, data
reveal a split picture along either side of the Mississippi River, as
particle pollution (soot)=97the most dangerous pollutant=97increased in
the East but decreased in the West, while ozone (smog) decreased
nationwide from peaks reported in 2002. The number of counties scoring
an A grade for ozone levels increased from 82 in 2000 to 145 this
year, but particle pollution levels show an ominous trend, with F
grades nearly doubling in just one year, according to American Lung
Association State of the Air: 2007.
=93The increased particle pollution in the East is a particularly
troubling trend, because exposure to particle pollution can not only
take years off your life, it can threaten your life immediately,=94 said
Terri E. Weaver, PhD, RN, American Lung Association Chair. =93Even in
many areas EPA currently considers safe, the science clearly shows
that the air is too often dangerous to breathe, particularly for those
with lung disease. Protecting Americans from potentially deadly air
pollution means we need more protective federal standards, so that
every community in the United States can have truly clean air.=94
Higher soot levels in the East are linked to an increase in
electricity generated by heavy polluting power plants. In the West, by
contrast, soot levels continue to drop even in areas that rank
historically high in particle pollution. California showed the most
improvement with 32 counties dropping their year-round particle
pollution levels
http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=3Da...ary&stateid=3D45
Go to sperlings.com and see how they rate our air. The people who
don't understand most tend to be in denial because they have homes
here , and like others have told me there is nothing sweeter to see
the people who are in denial the most to have to live here and
experience the consequences the most. There is no getting away from
the consequences unless they know how to pollution proof their homes.
the links say it all> The air pollution threat may be invisible, but it i=

Go to sperlings.com see where they rate our air
Philly the most depressed city in the nation
Ultra-fine particulate matter has been linked with premature death,
cardiovascular disease and respiratory illness, according to the
California
Air Resources Board. Though it takes Americans an average of 25
minutes
to
drive to work, according to 2005 U.S. Census Bureau figures, the
board
estimates that over 50% of a person's daily exposure to ultra-fin=

Likewise, a 2005 study by researchers at the University of Southe=

"Particle pollution kills people, whether they're breathing it in
over
a
short period or day in and day out for a year," Nolen says. "It's
not
like
being hit by a car, but it shortens the lives of people by months=

Even if you live in a city with low pollution levels, don't kid
yourself;
that doesn't necessarily mean your commute is healthy. A 2007 rep=