Thirty years after passage of the Clean Air Act, the Washington area still does not meet health standards for smog. Ground-level ozone, the primary ingredient of smog, is a severe lung irritant, and can cause shortness of breath, chest pain, wheezing, and coughing. Prolonged exposure can cause reductions in lung function, inflammation of the lung lining, and respiratory discomfort. One study in Los Angeles showed ozone pollution reduced the breathing capacity of non-smokers to the same level as pack-a-day smokers elsewhere.

Air pollution poses a major health risk for everyone in our region. On every “Code Orange” or “Code Red” day—when ozone levels are high and the air is particularly unhealthy, people with asthma or other respiratory illnesses, children and the elderly are forced to stay inside. Approximately 50,000 children and 100,000 adults suffer from asthma in the Washington area. Children, who spend more time outdoors, are especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of ozone, and even healthy adults can feel exhausted and ill after exercising or spending prolonged periods outdoors. During the summer “ozone season,” the DC region is exceeded only by Los Angeles in respiratory related emergency room visits.

Vehicles are a major source of air pollution

Cars and trucks produce about 40 percent of Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions, a major component of ozone. (Other sources of NOx include power plants and small gasoline-powered engines). As development continues to sprawl into the countryside, people are driving more and more, and worsening air pollution. In fact, the number of miles driven in our region has increased at nearly three times the rate of population growth over the past twenty years.

We CAN improve air quality

When our air is so bad that it is unhealthy to be outdoors, it’s time to change our priorities. By investing in transit, making our communities pedestrian and bicycle-friendly, and clustering future development around Metro stops, we can give people the opportunity to drive less, which will go a long way toward cleaning up our air.

The city of Atlanta proved this during the 1996 Summer Olympics, when it put 1,000 new buses into service and mounted an intensive public education campaign on the benefits of mass transit. As a result, the number of people using mass transit tripled, and the reduced driving led to a 42 percent decrease in asthma-related emergency room visits for inner-city children.

The Washington region can experience similar dramatic health benefits by making smart transportation decisions today.

Air Quality Video:

Sierra Club has developed an educational campaign about air pollution and sprawl in the D.C. region, using a 9-minute video, “Red Alert! The Washington Region Fights Unhealthy Air.” We need volunteers to help show this video to organizations and residents throughout the area. To get involved: contact Chris Carney at (202) 237-0754, chris.carney@sierraclub.org. Or click here to sign up online.

Air Quality

Air Pollution and Sprawl: A Major Threat to Our Health

Vehicles are a major source of air pollution

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