Air Quality: To Breathe or Not to Breathe

May 14, 2009
FoxxyBB

Hello LUXies, have you thought about the air you are breathing lately? Well, I know I hadn’t until I had reason too after crossing paths with this data:

According to the Lung Association’s State of the Air website, breathing in particle pollution can increase the risk of early death, heart attacks, strokes and emergency room visits for asthma and cardiovascular disease.

So you see LUX Nation, it’s an important topic to keep at the forefront of our minds. Our health and the quality of our lives are affected by the level of pollution in the air we are constantly exposed to.
A useful new online resource from the American Lung Association is now available for you to evaluate your county’s air quality performance in three key designated areas: ozone, short-term particle, and yearlong particle pollution.

After 10 years of tracking, the ALA’s data for our nations top 10 most polluted cities broken down by air quality performance area category rank like this:

Ozone: Los Angeles, CA, Bakersfield, CA, Visalia, CA, Fresno, CA, Houston, TX, Sacramento, CA, Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, Charlotte, NC, Phoenix, AZ, and El Centro, CA.

Short-term particle pollution: Pittsburgh, PA, Fresno, CA, Bakersfield, CA, Los Angeles, CA, Birmingham, MS, Salt Lake City, UT, Sacramento, CA, Logan, ID, Detroit, MI, and Chicago, IL. We see a theme here, not so LUX!

Year-round particle pollution: Bakersfield, CA, Pittsburgh, PA, Los Angeles, CA, Visalia, CA, Birmingham, MS, Hanford, CN, Fresno, CA, Cincinnati, OH, Detroit, MI, and Cleveland, OH.

Wow, by looking at this brief list you definitely can see some themes. It seems California cities are on all three lists. Most of the time cities and areas with stagnant air flow are at greatest risk for less air quality. Most of the cities fall onto one or two of the categories at a time; we definitely have some ‘repeat’ offenders. To check out the full report and rank your city/county, visit Stateoftheair.org. This is a helpful resource for those of you evaluating the pros and cons of moving to a new area, it could definitely help make a more informed choice!

Don’t fret; we can all be a part of the solution. Some actions you can take: drive less, carpool whenever possible, limit burning wood or trash, reduce electricity and support public transportation utilizing eco- methods. Become a Facebook fan and educate others! LIVE.LOVE.LUX.