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Air Pollution, Asthma Attacks on the Rise Since the Clean Air Act was enacted in 1970, air quality has improved in many regions of our country. But even after more than 30 years of progress, more than 130 million Americans continue to breathe dirty, unhealthy air. In Pennsylvania, nearly 5 million people (children, the elderly, and those with chronic respiratory disease) are at risk from air pollution in 31 counties with ozone monitors. And because the Bush administration is weakening clean air protections, Pennsylvania's air pollution problems stand to get worse. Dr. Ted J. Cibik Dr. Ted J. Cibik, ND, DMQ, HFI, is terribly concerned about the air quality in Pennsylvania. As a medical practitioner he treats many patients with respiratory problems. "There are 5,000 deaths from asthma attacks each year in the United States, and we are seeing more asthma attacks, more emergency room visits, more people using inhalators," Cibik explains. Both perpetrator and victim, Pennsylvania emits an immense amount of air pollution, spewing almost 50 percent of all the nitrogen oxide pollution (critical ingredient for smog) in the northeastern United States. Pennsylvania citizens not only suffer from our own failed pollution control policies, but also breathe pollution from dirty Midwestern power plants located upwind in Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia. In the summer of 2002, the number of days triggering smog warnings rose in seven counties - both urban and rural. Philadelphia, Perry, Bucks, Luzerne, Montgomery, Northampton, and Tioga Counties suffered through more bad ozone smog days than in 2001. Dr. Cibik spends some of his time teaching and consulting with the American Lung Association and other groups to get the word out about how poor air quality affects Pennsylvania communities. "Everybody has to breathe. If you are an asthmatic and breathing is already difficult, anything that makes it more difficult to breathe is a serious concern." According to the American Lung Association's State of the Air 2003 report, the Mid-Atlantic region, including Pennsylvania, showed a widespread decline in air quality from 1990 through 2002, with a 9 percent increase in ground-level ozone smog. Pollution in twenty-four Pennsylvania counties remains as bad as in 2002; six counties showed an increase in unhealthy ozone days, and a seventh rural county (Tioga County) received a grade of "D" for its worsening air quality. Pittsburgh's Cheswick power plant Like many people in Pennsylvania, Dr. Cibik is an asthmatic who has first-hand knowledge of the health problems caused by Pittsburgh's Cheswick power plant. As an asthmatic, he knows that air pollution can aggravate his condition, and he worries about people with similar conditions who live under the cloud of pollutants spewing from Cheswick's smokestacks. Because of the trading program allowed under the Clean Air Act, which allows polluting facilities to trade pollutant emitting credits, neighbors of the Cheswick Power Plant have had to endure increasing levels of pollution with time as opposed to decreasing levels. Pennsylvania is home to 35 coal-fired power plants, located throughout the state. These plants contribute to air quality problems for asthma patients, including many young children, who are forced to pay close attention to air quality forecasts when planning each day's activities. In the process of generating more than 3 million megawatt-hours of electricity, the Cheswick power plant spewed out more than 49,000 tons of acid rain-causing sulfur dioxide emissions. In 2001, Cheswick released more than 6,700 tons of nitrogen oxides, a component of ozone smog, and close to 3.4 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas. This pollution prompted 18,524 lost workdays and 2,149 asthma attacks in Pennsylvania in 2001, and 114 instances of premature death were associated with air pollution from Cheswick.1 A home near the Cheswick power plant Bush administration policies would allow power plants to emit 68 percent more ozone smog-causing nitrogen oxide, 125 percent more sulfur dioxide (a source of breathable fine soot), and 300 percent more mercury, than simply enforcing the current law. Under the administration's plan, 2 million more tons of acid rain-producing sulfur dioxide could be released into our environment by 2010 than is allowed under the current Clean Air Act. For Pennsylvania, this means more damage to our lakes and forests. In addition to this proposed legislation, the administration is creating loopholes in existing clean air rules. Under the Clean Air Act, the New Source Review program, requires older plants to install the most current pollution control technologies when they make significant changes that increase pollution. The Bush Administration is exempting utilities from this rule, allowing older, more polluting plants to avoid pollution reduction, placing local communities and those downwind at increasing risk of health damage and pollution. Thirty years of progressively cleaner air shows that we have the know-how to reduce pollution. But by consistently siding with the coal and utility industries, the Bush administration is putting polluters' profits ahead of people's health. 1. "Particulate Related Health Impacts of Emissions in 2001 from 41 Major U.S. Power Plants." November 2002. Abt Associates, Inc., Cambridge MA 02138. For more information contact: Nancy Parks Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter (814) 349-5151 nfparks@uplink.net Group Against Smog and Pollution (412) 441-6650 www.gasp-pgh.org EPA (215) 814-5615 Air Quality Forecast www.epa.gov/airnow Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club