The American Lung Association, in its 24th annual 'State of the Air' report, says lung cancer among non-smokers is on the rise, with pollution a likely driver.
A long-established report card grading air quality around the country has uncovered worrisome takeaways. For one, the American Lung Association, which issues the grades, finds that lung cancer among non-smokers is on the rise, with pollution considered a likely contributor.
And third, severe wildfires in recent years made outdoor life in the scenic U.S. West, where population is on the rise, increasingly difficult and dangerous. The lowest grades for air quality cropped up largely in western states. “We have to understand that pollution’s impact on our bodies is growing and we just can’t easily dismiss this evidence,” he said.
Meanwhile, because of historical biases in real estate and financial markets, Americans of color disproportionately live in neighborhoods and communities with more exposure to air pollution from industry and traffic than their white counterparts. Although cities most affected by western drought and wildfires, including eight in California, three in Oregon, and three others in Alaska, Arizona, and Washington, still represented the largest share, cities with high power plant emissions as well as local industrial and mobile sources of year-round particle pollution continued to show up on this list. These included Indianapolis, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Augusta, Houston, Cincinnati, Birmingham, McAllen, Louisville, Chicago and Laredo.
“I’m always preaching to people that when you’re voting or making decisions, you shouldn’t be doing it for your immediate future but thinking generationally, thinking 50+ years out,” she said. There has been some positive news on the pollution front in recent years — the improvement for Earth’s ozone layer.
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