Four in 10 Americans Are Breathing Unhealthy Air
Four in 10 Americans are breathing unhealthy air – How healthy is the air you breathe? If you live in the Fresno, Bakersfield or Visalia-Porterville-Hanford areas of California, then chances are it’s not very healthy.
The American Lung Association released its annual State of the Air report Wednesday, revealing the US cities with the worst air quality in terms of short-term particle pollution, year-round particle pollution and ozone pollution.
Cities in Southern California dominated the top of all three lists. The report found that nearly 138.5 million people across the country live where pollution levels are “too often dangerous to breathe.” Various cities in the West saw record numbers of days with high short-term particle pollution, due in large part to climate change. Heat, drought and wildfires are major contributors to high-particle conditions.
Air pollution can damage lung tissue directly and bypass our natural defenses, causing lung disease such as asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema.
Harold P. Wimmer, National President and CEO of the American Lung Association, says,”We must meet our air pollution challenges head-on to protect the health of all Americans, especially the nearly 33 million people in the U.S. living with chronic lung diseases, like asthma and COPD.”
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