Nevada - Communities at Risk

Craig is a fun-loving twelve-year-old who lives in the Las Vegas area. He is an avid football player and enjoys many of the same outdoor activities as other kids his age. But Craig, like many children in his community, suffers from asthma and is affected by the high levels of air pollution in Las Vegas. While the air quality has improved in the region since the Clean Air Act was passed in 1970, nearly 1.4 million Nevada residents continue to breathe dirty, unhealthy air.¹ And much of the problem is caused by hydrocarbon pollution from gasoline.

Craig, a twelve-year-old suffering from asthma, wishes he could play football with more freedom. Instead, due to doctors orders he is often forced to sit on the sidelines when there is poor air quality. In Las Vegas, better fuel economy standards would mean better air quality and healthier children.

Better fuel economy (CAFE) standards for cars and light trucks would not only save consumers money at the pump, it would also reduce hydrocarbon pollution from refueling, exhaust emissions, and refining of gasoline. This pollution is a key precursor to smog, which continues to plague Las Vegas and kids like Craig. But instead of supporting cleaner air and saving consumers money, the Bush administration has sided with industry and resisted improving gas mileage on new cars and trucks.

Asthma Means Lots of Extra Precautions
When Craig was just a toddler, his mother, Tina Mendoza, frequently had to take him to the hospital emergency room because he was having trouble breathing. She was repeatedly told he simply had a case of the croup. It was not until he had a severe asthma attack that landed him in an oxygen tent that Craig was properly diagnosed with asthma. Since then, he has always had to be extremely careful, carrying inhalers, using a nebulizer for extreme breathing problems, and watching the weather reports for poor air quality days when he must stay indoors and avoid playing outside.

Polls show that Nevadans, like most Americans, are very concerned about air pollution in their communities. Tina agrees: "While Craig is able to play football, he has to take a lot of precautions to protect his air flow and breathing. When he is sick, we have to take extra precautions, and Craig ends up missing a lot of school."

But the Bush administration has repeatedly rejected actions that would help clean up Las Vegas's dirty air. A key decision has been to reject any significant increase in auto and truck fuel economy, or better gas mileage for cars and trucks. In 2002, the fuel economy of vehicles sold in the U.S. fell to a 22-year low of 20.4 miles per gallon-worse than in 1988.² The pollution associated with the use of all that gasoline continues to plague us.

We All Have a Right to Clean Air
There is a better way-require the auto industry to make cars and trucks that go farther on a gallon of gas, and pollute less. The technology already exists; the American people overwhelmingly favor increasing miles per gallon standards, but the auto makers, their lobbyists and friends inside the Bush administration stand in the way.

Tina Mendoza hopes that soon, greater efforts will be made to reduce Las Vegas's air pollution, and that the health of her son and others like him will improve. Clean air would not only improve his health, but also the hardship she must endure to provide for his special needs.

"I am a single mom with three kids and a new grandchild," Tina says. "I have to prioritize the medicine for Craig because the medicine is too expensive, even with my health coverage. Every day I hope for clean air for my family to breathe."

For more information contact:
Department of Air Quality Management
500 South Grand Central Parkway
Las Vegas, NV 89155
(702) 455-5942
http://www.co.clark.nv.us/air_quality/

American Lung Association
Las Vegas Office, ALA of Idaho/Nevada
1800 East Sahara Avenue, Suite 106
Las Vegas, NV 89104
P.O. Box 44137
Las Vegas NV 89116
(702) 431-6333
http://www.lungusa.org/

Tara Smith
Sierra Club
3210 W Charleston Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 732-7750
http://www.sierraclub.org

Game Called on Account of Air Quality: Our Kids Need Clean Air to Breathe