Yesterday the American Lung Association released it's annual air quality report card.  Some excerpts:
 
"...46 percent (136 million people) of the U.S. population lives in 251 counties where they are exposed to unhealthful levels of air pollution in the form of either ozone or short-term or year-round levels of particles."

"Air pollution shortens lifespan, it lands our children and elderly in emergency rooms, and it can make children and teens more vulnerable to lung disease for the rest of their lives."

How's the air where you live?  Go to this American Lung Association link and enter your zip code to find out.

From the U.S. EPA website -
   Ground level ozone ... is formed by complex chemical reactions between volatile organic compounds (VOC) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) in the presence of sunlight.  The primary sources of VOC emissions are automobiles and gasoline vapors.  Emissions of NOx are produced primarily when fossil fuels are burned.  Ozone causes health problems because it damages lung tissue, reduces lung function and sensitizes the lungs to other irritants.  When inhaled, even at low levels, ozone can: cause acute respiratory problems such as shortness of breath, chest pain, wheezing, and coughing; aggravate asthma; cause significant temporary decreases in lung capacity; cause inflammation of lung tissue; lead to hospital admissions and emergency room visits; and impair the body's immune system defenses, making people more susceptible to respiratory illness, including bronchitis and pneumonia.

   Particulate matter - Thick, black smoke belching out of the exhaust pipes of trucks. White smoke that comes from burning leaves or burning wood in the fireplace.  A hazy brown layer in the morning sky.  Numerous recent studies have shown that airborne particles (either solid or liquid) cause serious health problems.  EPA has estimated that airborne particles cause over 15,000 premature deaths in the United States per year.  Scientists have correlated exposure to airborne particles with increased hospitalizations for asthma attacks, worsening of lung disease, chronic bronchitis, and heart damage.  A March 2002 study suggests furthermore that airborne particles can cause lung cancer.  Particulates eventually settle on land or water which can acidify lakes, deplete the nutrients in soil, and damage sensitive forests and crops.

Do you know any children with asthma?  Ever have shortness of breath yourself?  Is air pollution a factor?  If you think it is, are you willing to pay more for energy (by shifting taxes from income to non-renewable energy) to improve the air?