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You, your family, and air pollution

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This entry was posted on 3/15/2007 11:42 PM and is filed under Air pollution.




Air pollution is a huge problem today.  Most is caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

Approximately 20 million Americans suffer from asthma.  It is estimated that almost half are children.  Asthma attacks kill 5,000 people every year in the U.S. - an average of 13 every day.  An excerpt from the Natural Resources Defense Council article link at the beginning of this paragraph -

   "In recent years, scientists have shown that air pollution from cars, factories and power plants is a major cause of asthma attacks. And more than 159 million Americans -- over half the nation's population -- live in areas with bad air."

Additional information showing the cause and effect between fossil fuel combustion and respiratory problems: from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) article -

   "Several years ago, researchers took advantage of a natural experiment to observe the impact on pediatric asthma of decreased traffic levels and improved air quality. During the 1996 Summer Olympics Games in Atlanta, researchers found that while peak morning traffic decreased 23% and peak ozone levels decreased 28%, emergency visits for asthma events in children decreased 42%. During the same period, children's emergency visits for causes other than asthma did not change. These results suggest how efforts to improve air quality, such as increased use of mass transit and carpooling, can help improve the respiratory health of a community."

Air pollution is a problem that needs to be addressed.  Quoting David Edwards, Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources -

   " The ultimate test of person's conscience is the willingness to do something today to help protect future generations."

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    • 6/18/2007 7:36 PM Robert Slottke wrote:
      I cannot imagine waking up in L.A., looking at the smog hanging over the city, and not thinking it is affecting one's self and their family. In the opening of the documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car" they quote similar alarming statistics for respiratory ailments in children living in the L.A. area.
      The original development of the EV1 (GM Saturn's Electric Vehicle) grew out of California's passing a bill mandating goals for auto manufacturers to work toward zero emission vehicles.
      So it only peaked my interest more as I watched the DVD, why under those circumstances, the electric car was killed (quite literally! GM leased them, so merely didn't renew the leases, took them back, drove them out to desert in AZ and crushed them!).
      Perhaps not amazing, the auto & petroleum industry's position isn't even close to the opposing side, those that owned and loved the cars. Their position is there was no demand for the car, drivers didn't want the limitations that came with the car, and besides CA dropped the mandate (after GM and others sued the state in Federal court). Plus producing electricity to run the cars produced emissions too.
      The supporters of the EV1 said there was demand & waiting lists, the industry wanted the car to fail and marketed it accordingly, and they are driven by profit (consider all the auto parts, oil changes, and barrels of gasoline not needed - huge economic impact to them) not by being environmentally conscious. The year they were crushing the EV1 they introduced the Hummer.
      Certainly one can argue validity on both sides but my sadness comes from fact they never sat down to discuss it. The industry strong armed the State of CA and in a "in your face" statement crushed the cars, rather than worked to refine them.
      My personal opinion? In an era of technology advances in everything from space to the cell phone, the internal combustion engine seems to be sacred ground. It will take a louder outcry from us the consumer and pressure on our elected leaders to force development away from the way Detroit has made doing business for a century.
      Reply to this
      1. 6/18/2007 9:40 PM Paul Riehemann wrote:

        It is sad.  Great information Robert, thanks.


        Photo forwarded by Robert - What became of the EV1

        Electric vehicles can help solve the four biggies.  According to the California Air Resources Board, " EVs reduce pollutants by more than 90 percent when compared to the cleanest conventional gasoline-powered vehicles (even when factoring in the emissions from power plants generating the electricity to charge the vehicle)."

        As always, we need to remember that we also vote with our dollars.

        Here's a link to more information on EVs from the Electric Auto Association (EAA).


        Reply to this
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