May 01, 2007
How healthy is the air you are breathing?
How healthy is the air you are breathing? You may be surprised to find out that the answer depends, in part, on which side of the Mississippi River you live.
The American Lung Association’s State of the Air: 2007 finds that America’s air quality picture is clearly split East-West. This is actually the first time we’ve seen a geographic split in the eight years that we have been sending out an annual air quality report card. Particle pollution (soot)—the most dangerous pollutant—increased in the East but decreased in the West. Ozone (smog) levels, on the other hand, dropped across the country from peaks reported in 2002. You can learn more about your own area’s air quality grades by checking out the report.
Why the split? Like most topics related to air quality, the complex answer revolves around sound science and federal policies intended to control pollution.
This year’s State of the Air reinforces our life-and-death need for more protective federal standards so that every community in the United States—East or West—can have truly healthy air to breathe. The report finds that 136 million Americans are breathing air that’s not safe. That’s unacceptable.
Every day, air pollution is affecting people’s health all over the United States. The air you’re breathing is cleaner than it was 30 years ago, but it’s still not healthy air!
Breathing ozone (smog) and particle pollution (soot) can literally shorten life, create life-and-death emergencies, and send our most vulnerable Americans to emergency rooms. We must protect them.
With all the research showing how harmful these pollutants are to the health of so many Americans, you’d think it would be simple to decide to clean up the air. But it’s not. Unfortunately, clear scientific evidence can get tangled up in politics.
Right now, we’re in the midst of a critical debate over how much pollution it too much. We at the the American Lung Association and our colleagues at most other health organizations are at odds with the federal government’s definition of what safe levels of smog and soot truly are.
And it’s that definition of “safe levels” of smog and soot that sets official limits on how much air pollution your community can have.
Understanding outdoor air pollution and how it affects human health is complex and can be overwhelming. The most basic piece of the puzzle to understand is that our lungs simply weren’t made to breathe the levels of air pollution Americans continue to have to inhale.
Here are some specifics about how our bodies can react to smog and soot:
- First and foremost, breathing particle pollution can kill. Someone can die on the very day that particle levels are high, or within one to two months afterward. Breathing particle pollution year-round can shorten life by one to three years. It causes many other health effects, premature births to serious respiratory disorders, even when the particle levels are very low. It makes asthma worse and causes wheezing, coughing and respiratory irritation in anyone with sensitive airways. It also triggers heart attacks, strokes, irregular heartbeat, and premature death.
- Ozone reacts chemically (“oxidizes”) with internal body tissues that it comes in contact with, such as those in the lung. When that irritates the respiratory tract, like getting a sunburn or rubbing sandpaper on a wound.
- Smog can cause health problems the day you breathe in high levels of smog, or after long-term exposure. It’s particularly dangerous for people with asthma and other chronic lung diseases, senior citizens, and children and teens.
- Smog can cause asthma attacks, coughing and wheezing, shortness of breath, chest pain when inhaling deeply, and even premature death. Breathing high levels of smog repeatedly over the long term may also lead to reduced lung function, inflamed lung lining, and increased breathing problems.
- Particle pollution is too small to really see—you can see the haze it creates when the sunlight hits it. Particles can be so microscopic that they’re one-seventh to one-thirtieth the diameter of a single human hair—or smaller.
- The body’s natural defenses help to cough or sneeze larger particles out of our bodies. But those defenses don’t keep out smaller particles, and they get lodged deep in the lungs, where they stay and can cause major damage. Some of the particles are so tiny that they can pass through the lungs into the blood stream and travel throughout your body like oxygen.
- When it comes to air pollution, children and teens are more vulnerable than you might realize. Their lungs are still developing, so they can be easily damaged. Because kids are so active and outdoors more often, they can end up breathing more air pollution per pound than adults.
- Many others are vulnerable as well, including probably someone in your family. Not only children and teens, but adults over 65, adults who work or exercise outdoors, anyone with a chronic lung disease like asthma or COPD, anyone with cardiovascular diseases or diabetes—all these people face much higher risk of harm from air pollution.
The bottom line is that too many people are breathing dirty air. America deserves air pollution standards that protect the health of the public—that’s what the law requires.
Why do air pollution standards matter?
States and the U.S. EPA must enforce the Clean Air Act to reduce air pollution to protect health. To do that, EPA sets standards that every community is required to meet. Local communities and states are legally required to control pollution in their areas so that air is as clean as federal standard says it must be.
Standards drive nearly everything the American Lung Association does to clean up air pollution. The tighter the standards are set, the less people will suffer. Right now, we have the rare chance to get EPA to make them tighter—and we have the evidence we need. The last time EPA looked at ozone standards was 1997. It turns out that what EPA thought was safe then, isn’t. We’re calling on EPA to set new standards for ozone at levels that would protect public health as the Clean Air Act requires.
You can let policymakers know you want them to protect the air you breathe. Sign up to join our e-advocacy team.
Posted by lungblogposter at 09:11 AM | Comments (1)
January 09, 2007
A Lack of Political Will
On Tuesday January 9, the American Lung Association released its 2006 State of Tobacco Control report. In its fifth year, the report grades the states in four key areas of tobacco control policy, tobacco prevention and cessation program funding, smokefree air laws, cigarette taxes and laws restricting youth access to tobacco products. To read the report click here.
Implementing these policies is a proven way to reduce the estimated 438,000 deaths each year from tobacco use:
- A study published in the American Journal of Public Health concluded that if all the states spent just the minimum amount recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), youth smoking nationally would be 3 to 14 percent lower.
- The 2006 Surgeon General’s report on secondhand smoke concluded that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke, and that eliminating smoking in indoor areas is the only way to fully protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke.
- Studies have shown that a 10 percent increase in the price of cigarettes reduces consumption by 7 percent for youth and 4 percent for adults.
The report’s grades this year show improvement especially in the area of smokefree air, but the political will is still lacking to implement these policies in many states. States that have done so have seen dramatic results. For the 2nd year in a row, the state of Maine has earned four A’s in the report, and youth smoking in that state has declined by almost 60 percent between 1997 and 2005.
The state of California has sustained its tobacco prevention and cessation program since 1990, and as a result it has some of the lowest adult and youth smoking rates in the country. But the California program is under funded. The Golden State spends about half of what the CDC recommends for a comprehensive program. In fact, only nine states fund these programs at or near the levels recommended by the CDC, 34 others including California fund them at less than 60 percent. Imagine the additional lives that would be saved if California and the other states increased their investments.
Only the strongest tobacco control laws will reduce the death and disease caused by tobacco use. The science behind these policies is proven, and the public overwhelmingly supports them. Yet, like the states, the U.S. Congress has not mustered the political will to make changes at the national level either. Despite tobacco products being one of the only unregulated consumer products, Congress has failed to enact critical legislation giving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to do so. Send a letter today to your Member of Congress and Senators. Tell them to protect kids from tobacco and promote public health by supporting legislation to grant the FDA the authority to regulate tobacco products and advertising claims.
For more information about the American Lung Association or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) or log on to www.lungusa.org.
Posted by lungblogposter at 11:40 AM | Comments (7)
September 19, 2006
American Lung Association Launches “Faces of Influenza”
Influenza immunization rates fall far short every year, even though health experts recommend more than 200 million people in the US receive an annual influenza vaccination. To help address this issue, the American Lung Association has launched the Faces of Influenza, a multi-year national public awareness initiative to help Americans put a “face” on this serious disease and recognize annual influenza immunization as an important preventative measure to protect themselves and their families every year.
We all know someone who needs to be vaccinated against the influenza virus this year. In fact, it is likely that you or a family member fall into one of the groups that health officials recommend receive an influenza vaccination. Influenza results in an average of 36,000 deaths and approximately 226,000 hospitalizations in the US each year.1
Celebrities like Jean Smart, Dean Cain and Kristi Yamaguchi; public health officials and everyday people have joined the Faces of Influenza initiative, sharing their personal stories about their experiences with the disease and encouraging influenza vaccination among target groups. These groups include people 50 years of age and older, young children, everyone in close contact with people who have high-risk conditions, health care providers and anyone else who wants to prevent this serious respiratory illness.
Faces of Influenza Awareness Activities
The initiative also includes educational materials and the Lung Association has developed a new Web site, www.facesofinfluenza.org, where consumers and health care providers can find more information about influenza and the importance of immunization. Visitors to the Web site can also view the photographs and stories featured in the Faces of Influenza Portrait Gallery, view the public service campaign and utilize the Lung Association’s Flu Clinic Locator (the largest online directory of public influenza clinics).
Six local Lung Association chapters are planning regional Faces of Influenza awareness activities in Detroit, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Seattle, Houston and Minneapolis/St. Paul to raise awareness about this serious disease and the importance of annual influenza immunization.
1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prevention and Control of Influenza: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR. 2006; 55(RR-10):1-42.
Posted by lungblogposter at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)
April 27, 2006
What’s the State of Your Air?
As we announce the results of this year’s American Lung Association State of the Air report, I thought it would be a good opportunity to talk about the report, and things you can do to help protect our nation’s lungs.
The State of the Air report assigns grades to counties throughout the United States with respect to two of the most pervasive air pollutants, ozone (smog) and particles (soot). Take a couple of moments to see how your community fares, by clicking here and typing in your zip code.
How’d you do? If your county scored an F, unfortunately you’re not alone. According to this year’s report, more than 150 million Americans still live in counties where they are exposed to unhealthful levels of soot and/or smog air pollution. The good news is that, believe it or not, we are seeing real improvements in the air quality in much of the nation, but we’re still a long way from winning the battle against dirty air.
This year we are focusing our attention on the millions of people who live in U.S. port and industrial cities because two big contributors to dirty air are marine and locomotive sources. The EPA has promised to issue guidelines for limiting air pollution from these sources, but has not yet acted. You can help right away by sending an online letter to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson urging him to issue tough regulations that will clean up dirty diesel locomotives and boats.
Does clean air really make a difference to our health? The answer is yes. Mounting scientific evidence shows that cleaning up the source of air pollution results in cleaner air and less illness and death. A recent study out of Harvard’s School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston showed that when particle air pollution declines in a city, the death rate also declines in the city. While air pollution affects everyone, in particular, people with conditions such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, cardiovascular disease and diabetes are affected. As if that’s not enough, the nearly 40 million children under 18 and the 17 million adults who are 65 and over are also at risk in areas with unhealthful levels of ozone or particle pollution. I can’t stress enough the fact that cleaner air saves lives.
How can you help? The following are steps you can take to help in our continued quest for cleaner air:
- Drive less, not only will you be saving money due to the soaring gas prices, but you’ll be helping the environment. Vehicle emissions are a major source of air pollution. Combine trips, carpool, use mass transit whenever possible and walk more.
- Care for your car. Regular maintenance and tune-ups, changing the oil and checking tire inflation can improve gas mileage, extend your car's life and increase its resale value. It can also reduce traffic congestion due to preventable breakdowns and it could reduce your car's emissions by more than half.
- Get fuel when it's cool. Refueling during cooler periods of the day or in the evening can prevent gas fumes from heating up and creating ozone. And that can help reduce ozone alert days.
- Don't top off the tank. It releases gas fumes into the air and cancels the benefits of the pump's anti-pollution devices. So stopping short of a full tank is safer and reduces pollution.
- Don’t burn wood or trash. These practices are among the largest sources of air-borne particles in many parts of the country. Convert woodstoves to natural gas, which emits far fewer pollutants. Compost and recycle as much as possible and dispose of other waste properly; don’t burn it. Support local efforts to ban outdoor burning of construction and yard wastes.
- Participate in community reviews of local air pollution plans and support state and local efforts to clean up air pollution.
- Use less electricity. Turn out lights and use energy-efficient appliances.
Also remember to take measures to protect yourself. During the summer months, ozone levels are at their highest, but particle pollution can be a threat year round.
If you exercise outdoors, here are some tips to keep in mind:
- Exercise early in the day or in the evening, avoid midday or afternoon training.
- Avoid strenuous outdoor work,if possible, when ozone smog or other pollution levels are high.
- Avoid congested streets and rush hour traffic; pollution levels can be high up to 50 feet from the roadway.
- Make sure teachers, coaches and recreation officials know about air pollution and act accordingly.
Be aware of the Air Quality Index (AQI) levels on a daily basis and act accordingly. The AQI is the standard system that state and local air pollution control programs use to notify the public about levels of air pollution. The AQI levels are generally reported in the local newspapers, television and radio news reports and online at www.epa.gov/airnow. For more information on AQI, click here.
Posted by lungblogposter at 10:00 AM | Comments (5)
March 27, 2006
They’re Listening....
For years, we’ve been asking state and local governments to protect the lung health of our citizens, and now according to our recently published report, State Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues (SLATI), we’re seeing a growing trend amongst states to make almost all public places and workplaces smokefree. In addition, states are raising tobacco taxes, essential in the fight to prevent our youth from starting to smoke, an addiction that for many, is more difficult to break than an addiction to heroin.
Earlier this year we issued the American Lung Association Smokefree Air 2010 Challenge, urging policymakers to adopt strong smokefree air laws. Why is it so important that we rid our work environments and other public places of secondhand smoke?
Here are some facts:
- Secondhand smoke has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a known cause of cancer in humans.
- Secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths and 35,000 – 62,000 heart disease deaths in adult nonsmokers in the United States each year.
- Secondhand smoke is especially harmful to children, and can even be fatal. Secondhand smoke causes 1,900 to 2,700 deaths from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in the United States each year.
So as you see, secondhand smoke is not just a nuisance, it’s a potential killer. I invite you to read more of these alarming statistics by clicking here.
Click here for the SLATI report to see the latest on tobacco control laws in your state. In addition you might want to check out your state’s grades on tobacco control laws in the American Lung Association State of Tobacco Control 2005 report, released in January.
Thanks to a combined effort of many concerned Americans, millions of us are now able to enjoy a smokefree existence, without compromising our careers, or our leisure-time activities.
Posted by lungblogposter at 06:49 AM | Comments (1)
January 02, 2006
Happy New Year!
Did you give up smoking this year? Congratulations! Tell us how you did it. You might be just the right encouragement for someone who is trying to quit.
If you want to quit, we can help. Call our quit smoking specialists at 1-800-LUNG-USA or use our free FFS Online program. Here’s to a smokefree 2006!
Posted by lungblogposter at 09:00 AM | Comments (7)
December 19, 2005
Breathing Better Together – 4th issue now posted
Throughout November and December we have been collecting and writing stories of people who are living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) – also known as chronic bronchitis and emphysema. These are people who have experienced their own personal struggles and generously gave us their stories to share with you. To read the final issue of the Breathing Better Together series, click here.
Please tell me, how have these stories been helpful or inspiring to you? Or please share your story of how you found out you have COPD and what life changes you have experienced.
If you have specific lung health questions, please click here or call 1-800-LUNG-USA.
Posted by lungblogposter at 08:08 AM | Comments (4)
December 13, 2005
Dialing Up The Answers
We get many questions to our American Lung Association Helpline (1-800-LUNG-USA). The Helpline is staffed with respiratory therapists and smoking cessation experts and they are available Monday-Friday 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. EST to help with your questions. The Helpline is one of the many resources provided by the American Lung Association.
Here is a frequent question we receive that I thought you might find interesting:
Question: I have COPD, does that mean I can’t exercise anymore?
Answer: Inactivity is a vicious cycle. Some people with lung disease try to exercise and get short of breath so they stop. Sometimes you may feel too tired to do many of the things you like to do. If you've been in the hospital or you've been sick at home, your body may be weak and out of shape. Pretty soon, it seems impossible to exercise because of muscle weakness, fatigue and shortness of breath.
You can build yourself up with exercise and get back in shape. Exercise is important to:
- Build and maintain strength by helping you use oxygen more efficiently
- Maintain the flexibility of your bones and joints
- Build stamina and be able to increase the amount of activity you can in addition to managing your weight
Although exercise will not reverse your lung disease, it will help you take more control of your condition by improving your everyday quality of life and maintaining your independence.
We welcome your comments. If you have specific questions, please click here or call 1-800-LUNG-USA
Posted by lungblogposter at 07:49 AM | Comments (4)
November 02, 2005
Welcome!
Welcome to the first installment of my blog. I am Dr. Norman Edelman, the Chief Medical Officer of the American Lung Association, and I hope to use this space to write to the visitors of lungusa.org about important news items in the world of lung disease and lung health.
I want to talk to you about Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease also called COPD (also known as Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema). Have you ever had the feeling that you are so hungry and you just can’t eat fast enough? Well, the patients I see with COPD often tell me they are “hungry for air.” That is a pretty powerful visual and we want people with COPD to know they aren’t alone. For the third year we are launching the “Hungry For Air: Breathing Better Together” awareness campaign. Each week this month we will feature a different story of someone who is living with COPD or someone who is caring for a loved one with COPD. We are grateful to Altana Pharma US who has helped us with an educational grant to raise awareness about COPD.
I want you to get to know these people and see how they are living with this disease. If you think you have COPD, I want you to call your doctor and ask for a lung function test.
Do you have a story about someone you love who has COPD? Would you like to share your experience and possibly help others understand this disease? Please let us hear from you.
Best of health!
Posted by lungblogposter at 12:41 PM | Comments (36)
