August 20, 2018 in Advocacy
Air Pollution Report Underscores Need for Action
As the federal government considers weakening federal air quality and global warming emissions standards, air pollution remains a threat to public health in communities across Pennsylvania, according to a new national report.
“This report shows that our communities – around our nation and right here in Pennsylvania — are struggling to breathe,” Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania (LAMPa) director Tracey DePasquale said at a capitol news conference unveiling the report. “The air, which is to be life-giving, is for some, death-dealing. And climate change is only going to make this worse.”
The report by the Frontier Group, PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center and Pennsylvania Public Interest Research Group Education Fund found the following levels of degraded air days in 2016, increasing the risk of premature death, asthma attacks, and other adverse health effects:
- In the Philadelphia region, 6,077,152 people experienced 111 days of degraded air quality in 2016, equaling about 3 out of every 10 days.
- In Lancaster, 539,137 people experienced 179 days of degraded air quality in 2016, equaling almost 1 out of every 2 days.
- In Harrisburg, 568,008 people experienced 132 days of degraded air quality in 2016, equaling more than 1 out of every 3 days.
- In Pittsburgh, 2,341,536 people experienced 121 days of degraded air quality in 2016, equaling about 1 out of every 3 days.
