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So our air got WORSE last year? How did that happen? Not good.

According to State of the Air: 2008 — the American Lung Association’s annual report on air quality country-wide — NYC is now the 8th most polluted city in the country in regards to ozone, aka smog.

We are now the 13th most polluted city in the country for short-term particulates, aka soot. Soot!

We used to be the 10th-worst and 17th-worst polluted in those categories respectively, but we seem to have actually gotten worse and not better in the course of 2007.

As for Brooklyn, we did improve slightly from F’s to D’s for short-term particle pollution. But on a county-by-county map, the whole metro area doesn’t look so hot.

am New York has more:

“In New York City, where the asthma rates are some of the highest in the nation, it is simply unacceptable that residents are being forced to breathe this toxic air,” said Louise Vetter, president and CEO of the American Lung Association in New York City.

[…]

New York’s pollution largely comes from coal-burning power plants in the Midwest and vehicle emissions locally.

Vehicle emissions. Congestion pricing. Asthma.

People at risk from poor air quality in King’s County alone:

Pediatric Asthma: 60,806
Adult Asthma: 156,821
Chronic Bronchitis: 78,575
Emphysema: 33,462
Cardiovascular Disease: 615,491
Diabetes: 141,024

That is over 1 million people who are at risk of poor health every single day due to pollution in King’s County. That is a whopping 43% of the population that is at risk. It deserves the “D” grade that it gets.

Read the report’s key findings to read some pretty shocking stats about the state of the air in this country, but also some positive plans for action on how we can improve our air quality.

Things must get better. Let’s make sure our politicians know that this is unacceptable.

Here are some actions you can take right now:

• American Lung Association: FIGHT FOR HEALTHY AIR! (online form, emails your Congressperson, your Senators)
• Write a note to Mayor Michael Bloomberg
• Use NYPRIG’s ‘Who Represents Me?‘ tool to easily find how to contact your elected officials (enter your street address and zip code and click submit)
• Get in touch with the local American Lung Association NYC chapter, get geared up (and sponsored) for BREATHE NYC: Asthma Walk 2008 taking place on May 31, and contribute if you can to the fight for cleaner air!

Tags: Action, American Lung Association, Asthma, BREATHE NYC, Cardiovascular Disease, Chronic Bronchitis, Coal-Burning Power Plants, Congestion Pricing, Diabetes, Emphysema, King's County, Louise Vetter, Michael Bloomberg, Ozone, Particulates, Pollution, Smog, Soot, Vehicle Emissions

Category: Carbon, Climate Change, Community Action, Energy Conservation, Environmental Justice

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