Here you go:
Posted on 04/28/2005 4:36:31 PM PDT by Brian328i
LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Fewer Americans have had to breathe unhealthy levels of smog or microscopic soot in recent years, but air pollution remained a threat in counties where more than half the nation lives, the American Lung Association said in an annual report Thursday.
Using data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the group found that the number of counties in which unhealthy air was recorded fell significantly for the first time in six years, to 390 from 441 in last year's report. The new report covered 2001 to 2003, while the previous one analyzed pollution levels from 2000 to 2002.
The association attributed the dip to cool and wet weather in the years studied, government controls on Eastern coal-fired power plants and improved vehicle emissions standards. Areas of the Southeast accounted for much of the drop in pollution.
But Janice Nolen, the group's director of national policy, emphasized that the counties where problems persist are home to 152 million people, or 52 percent of the U.S. population.
"People's lives are shortened by months to years because of the air they're breathing,'' she said. "The trend has gotten a little bit better in the last few years ... but we're not out of the woods.''
Counties were considered to have unhealthy air if their pollution levels exceeded federal standards for an average of about three days a year.
Most of the violations were for ground-level ozone, a precursor to smog that causes respiratory illnesses that can be especially harmful to the elderly, children and people with asthma. Ozone pollution occurs when hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides _ released when fossil fuels burn or chemicals evaporate _ combine with heat and sunlight.
California remains the nation's ozone capital, with nine of the top 10 most smog-choked counties. Five counties in Ohio and three in Pennsylvania also were among the 25 worst.
One in five Americans, meanwhile, face year-round unhealthy exposure to particulates, tiny soot from diesel-burning trucks, fireplaces, agriculture and other sources, the report found. It can lodge deep in the lungs and contribute to heart problems.
The EPA credited tougher standards for the drop in air pollution, including its 1998 rule requiring Eastern states to reduce power plant nitrogen oxide emissions. Impending emissions standards for trucks, cars and sport-utility vehicles will help cut pollution further, the agency said.
Conservatives and energy-industry groups have criticized the Lung Association's methodology, saying it's misleading to give counties "failing'' grades for air pollution that might have been recorded at just one monitoring station.
"I wish they would do more informing and less scaring,'' said Ben Lieberman, a senior environment and energy policy analyst at the Washington-based Heritage Foundation, a conservative research group.
Bush had nothing to do with the drop in pollution!
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Correct! The drop was caused when the homeless dropped
dropping their drop on the drop laden sidewalks !!! ;-))
Hey look, we can cut our pollution without Kyoto.
But. . . but. . . but. . . how can this be, in a country dominated by evil, straight, white males.
But ... but ... what about the global warming?
I heard this reported on NPR this morning (yes, I know. You don't need to tell me.) and they reported that the causes of the decreased pollution were:
1)cooler weather
2)more restrictive regulations on power plants
3)tighter automobile regulations
Any knee-jerk Bush basher who tries to tell me that President Bush is causing more pollution with his loosening of environmental policies is going to get hit on the side of the head with a copy of this rolled up report.
BUSH'S FAULT!
Wait just a dang minute here American Lung Association - you claim that all these problems go away when smoking bans are implemented.........California has had a statewide smoking ban longer than any other state yet still is number 1 on this list?
Maybe, just maybe if the ALA would spend even half as much money on seeking cures for these illnesses as they do on lobbying for more government control over our lives all of us would be a whole heck of a lot better off.
She Lion - you're the keeper of the ALA logo, aren't you?
The Pittsburgh area is listed as one of the areas with the worst air quality. The steel mills are gone, the cars get inspected for emissions...who's to blame for the bad air? Let's blame Canada!
Here you go:
"Bush had nothing to do with the drop in pollution!"
That was the statement made by Brian328i in Reply #1.
"Correct! The drop was caused when the homeless dropped
dropping their drop on the drop laden sidewalks !!! ;-))"
That was my response to Brian's statement in Reply #1.
Moving jobs and factories out of this country has nothing
to do the homeless dropping their drop in drop laden places.
It appears you thoroughly dropped my drop sarcasm intent.
Therefore, it is hereby strenuously recommended that you
closely monitor your own FReeper droppings.... otherwise...
The Men In Black will be dropping in on you !!! ;-))
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