Air Pollution Kills

WARNING! Air Pollution Kills

If the next surgeon general won’t tell you that AIR POLLUTION KILLS, he ain’t worth nominating

As if some of us needed reminding:

Six in ten U.S. residents—about 186 million people—live in areas with dangerous levels of air pollution, the American Lung Association reported.

The following are excerpts from the American Lung Association’s recently published State of the Air 2009 report. 

• Six out of ten people (61.7%) in the United States population lives in counties that have unhealthful levels of either ozone or particle pollution. Almost 186.1 million Americans live in the 525 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.

• Roughly six out of ten people in the United States—58 percent—live in areas with unhealthful levels of ozone. This reflects the much lower threshold for unhealthy ozone as well as warmer temperatures in much of the eastern U.S.

Click on the image to enlarge.

Notes:
(1) Cities are ranked using the highest weighted average for any county within that metropolitan statistical area.
(2) Total Population represents the at-risk populations for all counties within the respective Combined Statistical Area or Metropolitan Statistical Area.
(3) Those 18 & under and 65 & over are vulnerable to PM2.5 and are, therefore, included. They should not be used as population denominators for disease estimates.
(4) Pediatric asthma estimates are for those under 18 years of age and represent the estimated number of people who had asthma in 2007 based on national rates (NHIS) applied to county population estimates (U.S. Census).
(5) Adult asthma estimates are for those 18 years and older and represent the estimated number of people who had asthma during 2007 based on state rates (BRFSS) applied to county population estimates (U.S. Census).
(6) Chronic bronchitis estimates are for adults 18 and over who had been diagnosed in 2007, based on national rates (NHIS) applied to county population estimates (U.S. Census).
(7) Emphysema estimates are for adults 18 and over who have been diagnosed within their lifetime, based on national rates (NHIS) applied to county population estimates (U.S. Census).
(8) CV disease estimates are based on National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) estimates of cardiovascular disease applied to county population estimates (U.S. Census).
(9) Diabetes estimates are for adults 18 and over who have been diagnosed within their lifetime, based on national rates (NHIS) applied to county population estimates (U.S. Census).
(10) Adding across rows does not produce valid estimates, e.g., summing pediatric and adult asthma and/or emphysema and chronic bronchitis. [Image and Notes from American Lung Association’s  State of the Air 2009 report. Copyright American Lung Association.]

Notes:
(1) Cities are ranked using the highest design value for any county within that metropolitan statistical area.
(2) Total Population represents the at-risk populations for all counties within the respective Combined Statistical Area or Metropolitan Statistical Area.
(3) Those 18 & under and 65 & over are vulnerable to PM2.5 and are, therefore, included. They should not be used as population denominators for disease estimates.
(4) Pediatric asthma estimates are for those under 18 years of age and represent the estimated number of people who had asthma in 2007 based on national rates (NHIS) applied to county population estimates (U.S. Census).
(5) Adult asthma estimates are for those 18 years and older and represent the estimated number of people who had asthma during 2007 based on state rates (BRFSS) applied to county population estimates (U.S. Census).
(6) Chronic bronchitis estimates are for adults 18 and over who had been diagnosed in 2007, based on national rates (NHIS) applied to county population estimates (U.S. Census).
(7) Emphysema estimates are for adults 18 and over who have been diagnosed within their lifetime, based on national rates (NHIS) applied to county population estimates (U.S. Census).
(8) CV disease estimates are based on National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) estimates of cardiovascular disease applied to county population estimates (U.S. Census).
(9) Diabetes estimates are for adults 18 and over who have been diagnosed within their lifetime, based on national rates (NHIS) applied to county population estimates (U.S. Census).
(10) Adding across rows does not produce valid estimates, e.g., summing pediatric and adult asthma and/or emphysema and chronic bronchitis. [Image and Notes from American Lung Association’s  State of the Air 2009 report. Copyright American Lung Association.]

Notes:
(1) Cities are ranked using the highest weighted average for any county within that metropolitan statistical area. (2) Total Population represents the at-risk populations for all counties within the respective Combined Statistical Area or Metropolitan Statistical Area.
(3) Those 18 & under and 65 & over are vulnerable to PM2.5 and are, therefore, included. They should not be used as population denominators for disease estimates.
(4) Pediatric asthma estimates are for those under 18 years of age and represent the estimated number of people who had asthma in 2007 based on national rates (NHIS) applied to county population estimates (U.S. Census).
(5) Adult asthma estimates are for those 18 years and older and represent the estimated number of people who had asthma during 2007 based on state rates (BRFSS) applied to county population estimates (U.S. Census).
(6) Chronic bronchitis estimates are for adults 18 and over who had been diagnosed in 2007, based on national rates (NHIS) applied to county population estimates (U.S. Census).
(7) Emphysema estimates are for adults 18 and over who have been diagnosed within their lifetime, based on national rates (NHIS) applied to county population estimates (U.S. Census).
(8) Adding across rows does not produce valid estimates, e.g., summing pediatric and adult asthma and/or emphysema and chronic bronchitis. [Image and Notes from American Lung Association’s  State of the Air 2009 report. Copyright American Lung Association.]