Climate Change Impacts on Regional Air Quality Report Just Released by EPA

(Washington, D.C. – April 17, 2009) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a report on the potential impacts of climate change on regional U.S. air quality. The information contained in the report will enhance our ability as a nation to protect air quality and human health.

The report, “Assessment of the Impacts of Global Change on Regional U.S. Air Quality: A Synthesis of Climate Change Impacts on Ground-Level Ozone,” concludes that there is a potential for climate change to make ozone pollution worse in some regions and that future ozone management decisions may need to account for the possible impacts of climate change.

Climate change has the potential to produce increases in ground-level ozone in many regions. Ground-level ozone is formed in the presence of sunlight by a chemical reaction between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are emitted from sources like motor vehicles and industrial facilities. Climate change also could increase the number of days with weather conditions conducive to forming ozone, potentially causing air quality alerts earlier in the spring and later in the fall.

The Global Change Research Program in EPA’s Office of Research and Development led the development of the peer-reviewed report, which was done in partnership with EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. The report combines the results of new EPA-funded and existing scientific research and acknowledges that uncertainty remains over the specific regional patterns of climate change induced ground-level ozone changes.

More information on the report: http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=203459

More information on EPA Office of Research and Development’s Global Change Research Program: http://www.epa.gov/ord/npd/globalresearch-intro.htm

EPA Launches New Campaign to Educate Kids on Fighting Climate Change

(Washington, D.C. - April 16, 2009) With Earth Day only a few days away, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is kicking off the 2009 “Change the World, Start with Energy Star” campaign to educate kids and their families about how to save money and fight climate change through energy efficiency.

“People of every age have a part to play in confronting climate change,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Using Energy Star to cut electricity usage and costs, and educating young people and their families to make a difference -- big or small -- is how we make real progress.”

As part of the campaign, people take the Energy Star pledge to take steps to save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The pledge includes switching to more efficient lighting, choosing Energy Star when purchasing new products, sealing and insulating homes, and using power management features on home computers and monitors. These steps can add up to big reductions in greenhouse gas emissions because households and buildings – both commercial and industrial – account for more than half of the nation’s emissions of carbon dioxide due to the use of fossil-based electricity and other energy. If every American household took part in the Energy Star pledge, we would save more than $18 billion in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 18 million cars.

This year, EPA is partnering with Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Parent-Teacher Organizations Today to work with America’s youth in the fight against climate change. Boys & Girls Clubs of America will engage its young members in service projects to educate youth and their communities about the benefits of energy efficiency.

“As an organization with more than 4,300 community-based Clubs, we are genuinely concerned about the environment and our responsibility to preserve and protect it,” said Boys & Girls Club of America President/CEO Roxanne Spillett. “We look forward to working with EPA to educate and encourage the young people we serve to be more energy efficient and environmentally conscious, identifying ways they can make a difference in their respective communities.”

PTO Today will feature “Go Green Nights” for the nation’s parent-teacher organizations to engage youth and families in learning about energy efficiency and changes they can make in their homes and schools that will save energy and protect the environment.

“Protecting our environment and ensuring a healthy future is a passion for America’s school kids and their families”, said Tim Sullivan, founder & president, PTO Today. “On behalf of school Moms and Dads across the country, PTO Today is proud to partner with the EPA on Go Green Night. We’ll be bringing environmental education and Energy Star’s simple, practical environmental solutions to families in a fun atmosphere right at their local schools. It’s parent involvement at its best on a key 21st Century issue.”

To date, more than two million Americans have taken the Energy Star pledge, making real commitments to energy efficiency and the environment. More than 685 local and national organizations like the National Association of Counties, TIAA-CREF, ComEd, Georgia Power, and New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program are leading efforts to encourage their communities to take the pledge and do their part to protect the environment.

More information on the campaign: http://www.energystar.gov/changetheworld

EPA Finds Greenhouse Gases Pose Threat to Public Health, Welfare

Proposed Finding Comes in Response to 2007 Supreme Court Ruling

(Washington, D.C. – April 17, 2009) After a thorough scientific review ordered in 2007 by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a proposed finding Friday that greenhouse gases contribute to air pollution that may endanger public health or welfare.

The proposed finding, which now moves to a public comment period, identified six greenhouse gases that pose a potential threat.

“This finding confirms that greenhouse gas pollution is a serious problem now and for future generations. Fortunately, it follows President Obama’s call for a low carbon economy and strong leadership in Congress on clean energy and climate legislation,” said Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “This pollution problem has a solution – one that will create millions of green jobs and end our country’s dependence on foreign oil.”

As the proposed endangerment finding states, “In both magnitude and probability, climate change is an enormous problem. The greenhouse gases that are responsible for it endanger public health and welfare within the meaning of the Clean Air Act.”

EPA’s proposed endangerment finding is based on rigorous, peer-reviewed scientific analysis of six gases – carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride – that have been the subject of intensive analysis by scientists around the world. The science clearly shows that concentrations of these gases are at unprecedented levels as a result of human emissions, and these high levels are very likely the cause of the increase in average temperatures and other changes in our climate.

The scientific analysis also confirms that climate change impacts human health in several ways. Findings from a recent EPA study titled “Assessment of the Impacts of Global Change on Regional U.S. Air Quality: A Synthesis of Climate Change Impacts on Ground-Level Ozone,” for example, suggest that climate change may lead to higher concentrations of ground-level ozone, a harmful pollutant. Additional impacts of climate change include, but are not limited to:

· increased drought;
· more heavy downpours and flooding;
· more frequent and intense heat waves and wildfires;
· greater sea level rise;
· more intense storms; and
· harm to water resources, agriculture, wildlife and ecosystems.

In proposing the finding, Administrator Jackson also took into account the disproportionate impact climate change has on the health of certain segments of the population, such as the poor, the very young, the elderly, those already in poor health, the disabled, those living alone and/or indigenous populations dependent on one or a few resources.

In addition to threatening human health, the analysis finds that climate change also has serious national security implications. Consistent with this proposed finding, in 2007, 11 retired U.S. generals and admirals signed a report from the Center for a New American Security stating that climate change “presents significant national security challenges for the United States.” Escalating violence in destabilized regions can be incited and fomented by an increasing scarcity of resources – including water. This lack of resources, driven by climate change patterns, then drives massive migration to more stabilized regions of the world.

The proposed endangerment finding now enters the public comment period, which is the next step in the deliberative process EPA must undertake before issuing final findings. Today’s proposed finding does not include any proposed regulations. Before taking any steps to reduce greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, EPA would conduct an appropriate process and consider stakeholder input. Notwithstanding this required regulatory process, both President Obama and Administrator Jackson have repeatedly indicated their preference for comprehensive legislation to address this issue and create the framework for a clean energy economy.

More information: http://epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment.html

EPA Publishes Annual U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report

(Washington, D.C. – April 15, 2009) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the national greenhouse gas inventory, which finds that overall emissions during 2007 increased by 1.4 percent from the previous year. The report, Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2007, is the latest annual report that the United States has submitted to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle the challenge posed by climate change.

Total emissions of the six main greenhouse gases in 2007 were equivalent to 7,150 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. These gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride. The report indicates that overall emissions have grown by 17.2 percent from 1990 to 2007.

The increase in emissions in 2007 was due primarily to an increase in carbon dioxide emissions associated with fuel and electricity consumption. The following factors were primary contributors to this increase: (1) increased demand for heating fuels and electricity due to cooler winter and warmer summer conditions in 2007 than in 2006; (2) increased consumption of fossil fuels to generate electricity; and (3) a significant decrease (14.2 percent) in hydropower generation used to meet this demand.

EPA prepares the annual report in collaboration with experts from multiple federal agencies and after gathering comments from a broad range of stakeholders across the country.

The inventory tracks annual greenhouse gas emissions at the national level and presents historical emissions from 1990 to 2007. The inventory also calculates carbon dioxide emissions that are removed from the atmosphere by “sinks,” e.g., through the uptake of carbon by forests, vegetation and soils.

Information on the greenhouse gas inventory report: http://epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html

National Environmental Education Week

This week, April 12-18, is National Environmental Education Week (EE Week).

This is the largest organized environmental education event in the US. EE Week increases the educational impact of Earth Day by creating a full week of educational preparation, learning, and activities in K-12 classrooms, nature centers, zoos, museums, and aquariums. By participating in EE Week, students are encouraged to make a differenece in their schools, homes and communities.

For more info: www.eeweek.org/

Study Finds Environmental Education Programs Lead to Cleaner Air

National Environmental Education Week: April 12-18

(Washington, D.C. – April 13, 2009) A first of its kind study funded by EPA shows that environmental education programs are an effective tool in helping to improve air quality in North America.

"This study shows a valuable connection between better environmental education and cleaner air in our communities," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "With the right information, people can make a real difference in the places where they live, work, play and learn."

Nearly half of the surveyed institutions hosting education programs reported an improvement in air quality at their facilities due to actions taken by students, including doing service-learning projects and fostering community partnerships. Examples include decreased levels of carbon monoxide and mold, and enactment of a policy that decreased car or bus idling. An additional 43 percent of the surveyed programs reported some kind of action was taken to improve the environment.

Some examples include:
· East Valley Middle School (Wash.) where students monitored school indoor air quality and worked with school administrators to implement structural cha nges resulting in improved carbon dioxide, air flow, particulate levels, odors and mold.
· Exeter High School (N.H.) where students studied air quality issues and monitored car pooling and bus idling in the school drop-off area, leading to a no-idling policy and installation of no-idling signs.
· Greater Egleston Community High (Mass.) where student actions helped lead to the installation of a local air quality monitoring station, a change in fuels by city buses, and city-wide bus idling restrictions.

EPA worked with the National Park Service Conservation Study Institute, Shelburne Farms, and a group of environmental researchers, educators and psychologists to complete the study. Information on the study: http://www.epa.gov/education/

Air Board Chairman Issues Statement on $1.7 Million in Stimulus Funds for Air Quality Improvements

SACRAMENTO, CA – Air Resources Board Chairman Mary Nichols issued a statement on today’s announcement by the Obama Administration that it is providing each of the 50 states with $1.7 million to retrofit diesel school buses as part of the overall federal stimulus program.

"The state and its school children thank the Obama Administration for sending this funding our way to clean up older, dirty diesel school buses," said ARB Chairman Mary Nichols. "We are fast tracking this process so that within just a few short weeks this money will allow mechanics to install particulate filters on buses at dozens of school districts throughout the state, providing jobs and protecting children's lungs at the same time."

The $1.7 million in stimulus funds will help retrofit approximately 100 California school buses with verified retrofit devices to reduce pollution by 0.3 tons of particulate matter per year. ARB plans to get the funding in the hands of local school districts within a month of receiving the funding. To date, ARB has helped fund the cleanup of 3,000 under its clean school bus program, with plans to retrofit an additional 3,000 in the coming years. These funds would create as many as 20 jobs and, through the life of the project, would cumulatively reduce diesel particulate matter emissions by 1.5 tons.

The Air Resources Board is a department of the California Environmental Protection Agency. ARB's mission is to promote and protect public health, welfare, and ecological resources through effective reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and considering effects on the economy. The ARB oversees all air pollution control efforts in California to attain and maintain health based air quality standards.

EPA Names Priority Schools for Monitoring Toxic Outdoor Air Pollution

In an unprecedented effort to help protect children from toxic air pollution around schools, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced a list of schools that will undergo outdoor air monitoring.

“As a mother, I understand that concerned parents deserve this information as quickly as we can gather and analyze it,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “EPA, state, and local officials are mobilizing to determine where elevated levels of toxics pose a threat, so that we can take swift action to protect our children at their schools.”

EPA, state and local agencies will work together to monitor air toxics around 62 schools in 22 states that are located near large industrial facilities or in urban areas. EPA identified these schools for monitoring based on information that raised questions about air quality. That information included the best data available to EPA scientists about air pollution in the vicinity of schools, results of a computer modeling analysis, results from a recent newspaper analysis, and information from state and local air agencies.

Depending on the availability of staff and equipment, monitoring at some schools on the list will begin almost immediately; other schools will begin monitoring over the next 60 to 90 days. State and local air agencies will install and operate the monitors, while EPA will purchase the monitors and pay for laboratory analysis.

State and local agencies will take periodic samples of the air around the schools for a 60-day period. EPA will analyze the results of the monitoring and share the information with the schools and the public. EPA will use the information gathered in this initiative to determine how best to move forward, which could require additional monitoring or enforcement action where appropriate.

EPA and states will work with school communities to ensure they understand the monitoring results. In addition to monitoring the outdoor air quality, EPA also will help interested schools improve the quality of their indoor air.

To learn more about this program and to view the list of schools that are part of the monitoring initiative: http://www.epa.gov/schoolair

EPA Launches Interactive Web Tools in Celebration of Earth Month

EPA to Public: Earth Day is Every Day

(Washington, D.C. – April 1, 2009) The first Earth Day started 39 years ago when 20 million Americans decided we needed to do something about our environment. To begin Earth Month, EPA is launching several on-line communication tools to help educate Americans about how to protect their health and their environment.

Here is a list of several interactive tools that are currently available on EPA's Earth Day site: http://www.epa.gov/earthday

- Daily environmental tips via email: http://www.epa.gov/earthday/tips.htm

- Put the environmental tips widget on your own Web page, blog, or social networking profile: http://www.epa.gov/widgets/

- Listen to the daily audio tip podcast from EPA employees around the country. The podcast will be available for download and for free subscription on iTunes: http://www.epa.gov/earthday/podcasts/

- Join us around the country or get our take home kit: http://www.epa.gov/earthday/events.htm

- Share your photo and video creativity in several categories. We’ll feature entries on our Earth Day site all month: http://epa.gov/earthday/photoproject/ and http://epa.gov/earthday/videoproject/

Share your thoughts with our writers in Greenversations: http://blog.epa.gov/blog/

EPA Awards $3.5 Million in Grants for Particulate Matter Research

(Washington, D.C. – April 3, 2009) EPA awarded four grants to universities to research the relationship between the chemical composition of particulate matter (PM) and health effects. PM is a complex mixture that consists of direct emissions and reaction products formed in the atmosphere.

“These EPA Science To Achieve Results grants will build bridges between two different research communities – epidemiology and air quality engineering,” said Lek Kadeli, EPA’s acting assistant administrator for the Office of Research and Development. "The collaboration of expert researchers in both fields could result in major advances in data, methods, and tools available to link health problems with sources and components of air pollution."

Grants were awarded to:

- Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Ga, $899,956
- North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C., $893,439
- University of California, Davis, Calif., $900,000
- University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, $899,401

The health effects of exposure to ambient PM include premature death, aggravation of respiratory and cardiovascular disease, aggravated asthma, acute respiratory symptoms, chronic bronchitis, decreased lung function, and increased risk of heart attacks.

More information on grants: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/07innovpm/

U.S. Proposes to Slash Harmful Ship Emissions Along the Nation’s Coastlines to Save Lives

(Washington, D.C. – March 30, 2009) The United States took a critical step towards protecting Americans from harmful ship emissions by becoming the first country to ask the International Maritime Organization to create an emissions control area (ECA) around the nation’s coastline, the EPA announced today at a joint news conference with the Coast Guard and New Jersey elected officials.

According to the EPA’s data, the creation of an ECA would save up to 8,300 American and Canadian lives every year by 2020 by imposing stricter standards on oil tankers and other large ships that spew harmful emissions into the air near coastal communities where tens of millions of Americans live, work, play and learn. The United States is proposing a 230-mile buffer zone around the nation’s coastline in order to provide air quality benefits as far inland as Kansas.

“This is an important – and long overdue – step in our efforts to protect the air and water along our shores, and the health of the people in our coastal communities,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “We want to ensure the economic strength of our port cities at the same time that we take responsible steps to protect public health and the environment in the United States and across the globe.”

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, said, “We have known for a long time that our families that live around ports have a higher rate of respiratory illness, including cancer. EPA’s announcement today is music to my ears because it means the United States is stepping forward to take a strong leadership role on clean air around ports.”

Under this program, large ships such as oil tankers and cargo ships that operate in ECAs will face stricter emissions standards designed to reduce the threat they pose to human health and the environment. These standards will cut sulfur in fuel by 98 percent, particulate matter emissions by 85 percent, and nitrogen oxide emissions by 80 percent from the current global requirements.

To achieve these reductions, ships must use fuel with no more than 1,000 parts per million sulfur beginning in 2015, and new ships must used advanced emission control technologies beginning in 2016.

Air pollution from ships is expected to grow rapidly as controls on other mobile sources take effect and port traffic increases. Ocean-going vessels, which are primarily foreign owned and operated, dock at more than 100 U.S. ports, more than 40 of which are in metropolitan areas that fail to meet federal air quality standards.

EPA led the U.S. effort to develop the proposal in coordination with federal partners such as the Coast Guard, State Department and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Canada joined the U.S. as a co-proposer on the ECA proposal, advancing a strategy for a coordinated geographic emissions control program.

The proposal, submitted to the IMO on Friday, March 27, is one part of a comprehensive EPA program to address harmful emissions from ocean going vessels under the National Clean Diesel Campaign and the Clean Ports Program. Other elements include adoption of a Clean Air Act rulemaking process, which EPA plans to finalize this year.

The IMO, a United Nations agency, will begin reviewing the proposal in July. Approval of the proposal could occur as soon as next year. More information on the proposal: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/oceanvessels.htm

Protecting American Health from Global Shipping Pollution

"Emission Control Area" Means Healthier Air for Millions of Americans

WASHINGTON, March 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new report released today finds that more than 87 million Americans live in port areas that are not meeting federal health-based air quality standards. The report, Protecting American Health from Global Shipping Pollution, documents the public health effects associated with air pollution from global shipping, including container ships, tankers, cruise ships, and bulk carriers. The report, released by the American Lung Association, Environmental Defense Fund, National Association of Clean Air Agencies, and Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, is available online at: www.edf.org/documents/9466_ECA_report_March2009.pdf.

The coalition strongly encourages and supports action by the U.S. government that to apply to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the establishment of an Emission Control Area: an area where rigorous pollution limits apply to global shipping activity. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson will announce the U.S. application to the IMO during a noon news conference today in Port Newark, NJ. Foreign-flagged vessels make 90 percent of the ship calls on U.S. ports. Leading researchers estimate that shipping pollution is associated with 60,000 global deaths annually. EPA's Analysis shows that the establishment of an Emission Control Area could dramatically reduce lethal particulate pollution in U.S. coastal communities.

COALITION STATEMENTS

Statement of Captain Charles D. Connor, U.S. Navy (Ret.), American Lung Association President and CEO: "In my career as a U.S. Navy Captain, I saw firsthand the staggering amounts of pollution that cruise ships, container ships, tankers and other ocean-going vessels released into the atmosphere. These ships dock at more than 100 ports along our coastline and along navigable waterways far inland. Their smog- and soot-forming emissions threaten the health of those living far from our nation's maritime ports."

Statement of Vickie Patton, Deputy General Counsel, Environmental Defense Fund: "The dangerous air pollution from these floating smokestacks is a serious health threat to tens of millions of Americans who live and work in port cities. Cleaning up these big ships will chart a course for cleaner air and healthier communities."

Statement of Bill Becker, Executive Director, National Association of Clean Air Agencies: "These big ships are big emitters. We need all hands on deck to help state and local air pollution control officials reduce the pollution from global shipping and restore healthier air in our communities."

Statement of Dennis McLerran, Executive Director, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency: "Approval of an Emission Control Area for the coasts of North America at the earliest possible date will save hundreds of lives across the U.S. and Canada. In the Pacific Northwest, ocean-going ships travel hundreds of miles inland before reaching the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma and we will see significant air quality improvements in a wide area of Washington State when an ECA is put in place."

BACKGROUND

An Emission Control Area, or ECA, would provide the strongest clean air standards available under international law. It would dramatically improve fuel quality and reduce smog-forming oxides of nitrogen for all ocean-going ships in the exclusive economic zone of the United States, an area that typically extends about 200 nautical miles from the coast. To secure these vital protections, the U.S. government must submit an application to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) demonstrating the need to prevent, reduce and control global shipping emissions. The IMO would review the application at its July meeting and take final action on the U.S. request in 2010.

Container ships, tankers and the other large sea-going vessels that dock at more than 100 U.S. port cities burn low grade "residual fuel" or "bunker fuel" that is a major source of air pollution, including the formation of particulate pollution. Residual fuel contains sulfur levels 1,800 times greater than U.S. law allows for other diesel engines. A recent study by two leading researchers on shipping pollution, Corbett and Winebrake, shows shipping-related particulate pollution contributes to approximately 60,000 global deaths annually, with impacts concentrated in coastal regions on major trade routes.

In October 2008, the IMO, with active participation from the U.S. government, adopted new baseline global emission standards for ocean-going ships and their fuel. The IMO also provided for more rigorous, heightened protections in designated Emission Control Areas (ECAs). The fuel used to power these ships currently contains about 27,000 parts per million (ppm) of sulfur. In an ECA, the sulfur in fuel will be limited to 10,000 ppm in August 2012 and then to 1,000 ppm in January 2015.

Within an ECA, ships must also achieve an 80 percent reduction in smog-forming oxides of nitrogen starting in 2016.

EPA air quality analyses shows the pollution reductions required in an ECA will reduce exposure to lethal particulate pollution for millions of Americans.

Ocean-going ships contribute to unhealthy air quality across the United States. According to EPA, in 2001, these large ships emitted approximately:
- 745,000 tons of smog-forming oxides of nitrogen, a precursor to ground-level ozone. Ozone can aggravate asthma and decrease lung function in addition to other health effects;
- 450,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, a key contributor to acid rain that can also be transformed into lethal particulate matter; and
- 54,000 tons of fine particulates, microscopic sized particles, which can be breathed deep into the lungs, bypassing the body's defense systems. They are implicated in thousands of premature deaths each year. Other harmful health effects also result from breathing fine particulates.

Ocean-going ships are also responsible for about 3 percent of the world's total greenhouse gas pollution.

American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. The American Lung Association is "Fighting for Air" through research, education and advocacy. For more information, visit http://www.lungusa.org/.

Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 500,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. For more information, visit http://www.edf.org/.

National Association of Clean Air Agencies comprises the air pollution control agencies in 53 states and territories and over 165 metropolitan areas across the country. NACAA's members have primary responsibility for ensuring that everyone in our nation breathes clean, healthful air. For more information, visit http://www.4cleanair.org/.

Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is the regional air quality agency for the area including the major container ports of Seattle and Tacoma, Washington. We work together the clean the air we breathe and protect our climate through education, incentives and enforcement. For more information, visit http://www.pscleanair.org/.

Air Pollution Contributes to Allergies

New study supports efforts to protect children from air pollution

At its monthly regulatory hearing, the California Air Resources Board reviewed the results of a national study that linked exacerbation of childhood allergies to increased air pollution.

A survey of more than 70,000 children, aged three to 17, revealed that exposure to greater amounts of ozone or particulate matter triggers more symptoms of hay fever and respiratory allergies.

"Children are growing and learning constantly and the added burden of allergies can only limit them from reaching their full potential," said ARB board member Barbara Riordan. "This study underlines the need to clean our air. Our future is dependent on protecting children’s developing minds and spirits."

The study results, published in the January 2009 issue of Environmental Health Perspectives, found that for even small increases in the ambient amount of ozone or particulate matter, the population of children could expect a significant increase in the likelihood of hay fever and respiratory allergy symptoms. In California, the ARB estimates that one million school absences annually are associated with ozone exposures alone.

Created when the soup of pollutants are heated in the sun, ozone has long been the focus of air pollution regulations. It is the main constituent of smog and a serious threat to those with cardiopulmonary disease. Ozone inflames nasal passages and lung tissue. Recently it has also been associated with diminished lung development in children and the exacerbation of asthma.

The other respiratory antagonist found in the study was particulate matter, an assortment of very small liquid and solid particles floating in the air. When inhaled these particles easily penetrate deeply into lungs increasing the number and severity of asthma attacks, aggravating bronchitis and other lung diseases, and reducing a body's ability to fight infections.

The study’s findings support the state’s effort to further reduce pollution through local and state level regulations. Over the last two decades ozone concentrations throughout the state have been halved.

"We have grown accustomed to allergies and operate on the assumption that the only relief is medication for symptoms," continued Riordan. "But, reducing ozone and particulate matter also helps. Children can use more energy on their school work and less on struggling with runny nose and itchy eyes."

The Air Resources Board is a department of the California Environmental Protection Agency. ARB’s mission is to promote and protect public health, welfare, and ecological resources through effective reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and considering effects on the economy. The ARB oversees all air pollution control efforts in California to attain and maintain health based air quality standards.