Healthy Indoors Magazine - USA Edition

Healthy Indoors | 43 den from air pollution," said Deborah P. Brown, ALA's chief mission officer. "Everyone deserves clean air." Climate change is making the job of cleaning up the air more difficult, researchers also found. On the one hand, findings in "State of the Air" re- flected the success the Clean Air Act has had in reducing emissions from transportation, power plants, and manufacturing. On the other hand, the report's analysis bolsters evidence that a changing climate is making it harder to protect human health. The three years covered by "State of the Air 2023″ (2019, 2020, 2021) ranked among the seven hottest years on re- cord globally. High ozone days and spikes in particle pollution related to heat, drought, and wildfires are putting millions of people at risk and making it that much more difficult for states and cities to keep the air clean, especial- ly in the West, where forest fires are starting earlier and burning hotter and longer. In this year's report, 111 coun- ties in 19 states got Fs for daily particle pollution. All but eight counties are in the West. ALA's report specifically evaluates two forms of air pollution: particle pollu- tion and ozone pollution. Particle pol- lution is the mixture of tiny solid and liquid particles emitted by wildfires, coal-fired power plants, diesel engines, and wood-burning stoves and is also called "soot." Ozone pollution is the odorless, colorless, but toxic gas that forms on hot, sunny days and is often referred to as "smog." The ALA's researchers estimate that particles the size of PM 2.5 , about the width of a human hair, are respon- sible for nearly 48,000 premature deaths in the US every year. Short- term exposure to particle spikes, like those that occur after a wildfire, can increase mortality in infants as well as the severity of asthma attacks and hospitalization for asthma with respi- ratory illness. Among pregnant peo- ple, fetuses, and children, long-term particle pollution exposure is linked to greater risk of preterm birth and low birth weight, higher fetal and in- fant mortality, impaired neurological development and cognition, reduced lung development and impaired lung function in children, and more likeli- hood of children developing asthma. "The good news is cleaning up par- ticle pollution makes a difference," the report declares. "Research has shown a consistent relationship between de- creasing PM 2.5 concentrations and improving respiratory health in chil- dren and adults." Ozone gas is a powerful lung irri- tant. When inhaled, it reacts with the delicate lining of the airways, causing inflammation and other damage that can impact multiple body systems. When ozone levels are high, many people suffer chest tightness, cough- ing, and shortness of breath. Even healthy young adults may experience decreased lung function. Living with ozone pollution long-term may cause lasting damage, including new cases of asthma in children, increased risk of metabolic disorders, reduced fertility, and greater likelihood of preterm birth, stillbirth, and low birth weight. Children are both more susceptible to air pollution and more likely to be exposed than adults because devel- opment of a child's lungs and breath- ing ability start in utero and continue into early adulthood. The developing brain and heart may also be affected. The defenses that help adults fight off infections are immature in children. In addition, kids generally have more re- spiratory infections than adults, which also seems to increase their suscepti- bility to air pollution. Pregnancy is always a vulnera- ble time for both the mother and the developing fetus. Air pollution can make it worse, increasing the risk of preeclampsia in the mother as well as intrauterine inflammation and damage to the placenta that can disrupt the growth and development of the fetus. Exposure to both ozone and particle pollution during pregnancy is strongly associated with premature birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth. These risks are amplified in pregnancies where the mother is already at higher risk, as are people of color and those with chronic conditions, especially asthma. Both Moms Clean Air Force and the ALA are calling on President Biden to move urgently to clean up air pol- lution nationwide. Strengthening pollu- tion limits on ozone and particle pol- lution and enacting new measures to clean up power plants and vehicles are a start. So are the measures in

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