Lung Health News, Fall 2000 / Winter 2001
Nearly 30 million Californians are at risk because ozone air pollution is at dangerous levels in 33 California counties, according to the American Lung Association's State of the Air 2000 report released during the organization's annual Clean Air Month in May. The report covered county-by-county statistics related to ozone exposure and assigned grades based on ozone monitoring data from 1996 to 1998, the most recent data available from the Environmental Protection Agency.
In California, 33 counties received "F" grades and of the 25 Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Areas across the country with the worst ozone air pollution, nine were in California. Only nine California counties received an "A."
The report focused on ozone air pollution or smog because ozone is one of the most dangerous of the common air pollutants. Ozone is also pervasive, with nearly 100 million Americans living in areas that do not meet the federal ozone standards.
"Ozone can cause chemical burns on lung tissue and decreases in lung function," says John Balmes, MD, a volunteer for the American Lung Association of California's Clean Air Technical Advisory Group and division chief of Environmental and Occupational Health at San Francisco General Hospital. "Ozone can affect anyone's ability to breathe, not just those with chronic lung disease."
While ozone impacts the health of all Californians, people with lung disease are at greater risk. One American Lung Association study indicates that up to 10 percent of hospital admissions and emergency room visits for people with lung disease are caused by ozone air pollution. A more recent study in Sacramento found a 14 percent rise in the number of asthma-related hospital visits when ozone levels are high.
"At first my parents and I didn't really put the two together, but on the days when it was smoggy, my chest would hurt real bad," says 16-year-old Raymond Robbins, a Sacramento High School student who has asthma.
Electric Cars Offer a Viable Option
The report underscores the need for zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) such as electric cars in California because ozone mostly results from gasoline-powered vehicle exhaust.
"We live in a country addicted to gasoline. Fortunately, people can get there without gasoline because electric vehicles are here and are part of the solution," Dr. Balmes says.
The American Lung Association has been fighting auto makers' attempts to weaken the statewide ZEV program for more than a decade because it is a critical part of the overall effort to reduce air pollution and Californians overwhelmingly support the ZEV program.
California counties receiving an "F" grade in the State of the Air 2000 report included (in alphabetical order): Alameda, Amador, Calaveras, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino (worst county rating nationwide), San Diego, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Shasta, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Tuolumne, and Ventura. The nine Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Areas with the worst ozone air pollution included: Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, Bakersfield, Fresno, Visalia-Tulare-Porterville, San Diego-Imperial, Merced, Sacramento-Yolo, Redding, and Modesto.
While these are some of the problem areas, every Californian should be concerned about air pollution and take steps to reduce it. Air pollution knows no boundaries and some areas where pollution is created may not register as high ozone areas because wind patterns move the harmful pollutants into other areas.
Also, because the report covered data taken from 1996 to 1998, some reductions in ozone air pollution were not reflected in the report. For example, in Santa Barbara County ozone levels have been reduced in the last few years and county air pollution officials are preparing to seek federal attainment status from the Environmental Protection Agency.
"The steps we are taking to improve air quality are working," says Debbie Weeks, executive director for the American Lung Association of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. "But we have to keep it up because we obviously aren't there yet."
