Team 3: Clean Air Saves Lives
*Click on Links Below:
*Divestment from Fossil Fuels
*No Wood Smoke
*No Idling
*Transportation
*Stopping Smoking/Vaping
*Pollution Mapping Tools
*Stop Gas Powered Leaf Blowers
*DIY Air Filter
*Dangers of Methane/Natural Gas
*Air Pollution and Diabetes
*Lightshows, Not Fireworks
*Actions You Can Take
*Bills to Support
Stop Wood Smoke
We stand in support of those harmed by wildfires and woodsmoke!
Build Your Own Low Cost Air Filter Designed by Air Pollution Specialists
Click for instructions and comments by air pollution experts: DIY box fan air filters – Corsi-Rosenthal box. Designed by Dr. Richard Corsi, Dean of the Engineering School at UC-Davis.
Corsi Box is very cost effective and quickly filters the air compared with other air cleaners
Air Pollution Is Toxic
Stroke is the third leading cause of death worldwide with particulate matter the second leading cause.
“Exposure to certain pollutants, like fine particles (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), during pregnancy and childhood is associated with differences in the microstructure of the brain's white matter, and some of these effects persist throughout adolescence.”
“…fine particulate air pollution—which comes from vehicle and industrial emissions, wildfires and more—remains the "greatest external threat to public health."“
“The study found that air pollution from the oil and gas sector in the United States has substantial adverse impacts on air quality, human health, and health costs.”
“Coal is declining because of market forces, since it is so expensive to operate and maintain coal power plants. Meanwhile, because of subsidies and credits, wood (wood pellets), biomass, and gas have taken some of the market share that coal used to have.
However, wood, biomass, and gas ARE NOT CLEAN. Burning anything produces air pollution. Burning wood and biomass creates a lot of PM2.5 air pollution, and other air pollution not evaluated by this study: volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and nitrogen oxides (NOx). All of this air pollution damages health, from airway inflammation to free radical damage to cancer and numerous health problems. They aggravate and can cause asthma and emphysema.”
“The biggest subsidisers of fossil fuels were China, the US, Russia, the EU and India.”
“In this large US cohort with historical air pollutant exposure estimates, PM2.5 was associated with risk of estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer.”
Research by Harvard links fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide (from sources like gas power plants and cars) with prostate, colorectal, breast, and endometrial cancers.
“Wood burning in towns and cities is a major contributor of toxic air pollution particles, which have been linked to a wide range of health problems, including heart and lung disease, dementia and mental illness in children. Dirty air causes thousands of early deaths a year in London alone, and 26,000 to 38,000 in England.”
For every 10ug/m3 increased exposure to PM2.5, the risk of stillbirth went up 26%
“We found that PM2.5 exposure contributed to 39.7% of stillbirths in the 137 countries. Meeting the WHO air quality targets could thus prevent a considerable number of stillbirths.
23% of all global deaths could be prevented through healthier environments.
“The research estimated that almost half of stillbirths could be linked to exposure to pollution particles smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5), mostly produced from the burning of fossil fuels.”
“The children’s increased exposure to air toxins during infancy can reduce reading and math abilities and cause them to fall behind.”
“…cognitive gaps are formed as early as 6 months and are entrenched by age 2, before children even start school.”
“Moderate levels of two outdoor air pollutants, ozone and fine particulate matter, are associated with non-viral asthma attacks in children and adolescents who live in low-income urban areas.”
“…living in a high-poverty neighborhood increases exposure to many different air toxics during infancy, that it reduces cognitive abilities measured later at age 4 by about one-tenth of a standard deviation, and that about one-third of this effect can be attributed to disparities in air quality.”
“The clean air (human rights) bill is named Ella’s law after nine-year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah who died from air pollution-induced asthma. The bill would establish a right to clean air and set up a commission to oversee government actions and progress. It would also join policies on indoor and outdoor air pollution with actions to combat the climate emergency. Regular evidence reviews would also be required by the bill to ensure that government policies were based on the latest science.”
“Ella’s death is part of growing evidence that Britain’s children are being harmed by air pollution.”
“The findings outline how fine particulates… “awaken” dormant mutations in lung cells and tip them into a cancerous state. The work helps explain why so many non-smokers develop lung cancer and is a “wake-up call” about the damaging impact of pollution on human health.”
“The study found that inhaled particles from environmental pollutants accumulate over decades inside immune cells in lymph nodes associated with the lung, eventually weakening the cells' ability to fight respiratory infections.”
“People who live in areas that come with long-term exposure to high levels of air pollution face a 51% higher chance of dying from Covid-19”
“They found that poorer women in neighborhoods with higher levels of PM2.5 air pollution were 60% more likely to test positive for COVID-19.”
San Diego's Barrio Logan community by the Port of San Diego has some of the highest levels of diesel pollution in California. It is 70% Hispanic with 40% in poverty with high asthma rates, bronchial infections, headaches and breathing problems.
“This study thus provides indirect, yet substantial, evidence of systemic racial and ethnic bias in the generation and control of pollution…”
“Our analysis consistently identified that lower-income communities in the state are disproportionately affected by pollution…”
“The research shows head-to-toe harm, from heart and lung disease to diabetes and dementia, and from liver problems and bladder cancer to brittle bones and damaged skin. Fertility, foetuses and children are also affected by toxic air, the review found.”
“Air pollution is a “public health emergency”, according to the World Health Organization, with more than 90% of the global population enduring toxic outdoor air. New analysis indicates 8.8m early deaths each year – double earlier estimates – making air pollution a bigger killer than tobacco smoking.”
“The major health risks posed by incense combustion are respiratory and cardiovascular complications and a substantial proportion of allergic and dermatological issues.”
“Major incense-combustion outputs include particulate matter (PM), volatile organic content, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons.”
“Several poisonous gases, such as CO, CO2, NO2, and SO2, and the unavoidable challenge of disposing of the burnt incense ash further add to the toxicity.”
“PM2.5 can penetrate the deepest recesses of our lungs, cross into the bloodstream and transport toxins to every organ of the body.”
“Both outdoor air pollution and particulate matter (a major component of air pollution) were classified in 2013 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a carcinogenic to humans.”
“We find that long-term exposure to PM2.5, NO2 and BC are associated with risk of PD death.”
“Associations persist at low levels of pollutant concentration, below current EU standards.”
“Exposure to airborne pollutants, which is rising as a result of climate change, appears to increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease, according to a review study into how a changing environment can affect human health.”
“Air pollutants and other aspects of climate change also were found to associate with an occurrence or worsening of other neurologic diseases, including dementia and multiple sclerosis (MS).”
“The study found that the risk of dementia rose by 17% for every two micrograms per cubic meter increase in people’s annual exposure to PM2.5.”
“For context, the average American is exposed to an average of 10 micrograms per cubic meter every year, much of it from burning fossil fuels.”
“We find that pollution remains responsible for approximately 9 million deaths per year, corresponding to one in six deaths worldwide.”
“Children with greater accessibility to greenspaces had better lung health. These associations are moderated by social-economic status and road density.”
“…large-scale study….examined deaths across the US between 2003 and 2010. It found that an increase in daily PM2.5 - a fine particulate matter capable of entering the bloodstream via the lungs - of one microgram per cubic metre was associated with an almost 0.5 per cent increase in daily suicides.”
“A monthly PM2.5 increase at the same level was associated with a 50 per cent rise in suicide-related hospitalizations.”
“We found associations between short-term exposure to ambient air pollutants and COVID-19 ED visits. Exposure to air pollution may also lead to more severe COVID-19 disease.”
Click to see the State of the Air in your City, County or State. San Diego County gets an F in ozone and particulate matter.
“More than 40 percent of the U.S. population — or 137 million people — are living in areas with unhealthy levels of particle pollution or ozone, according to the American Lung Association’s newest “State of the Air” report card.”
Combining smog and soot, San Diego has the worst air in the nation according to CALPIRGs report. Click here for info
Study Shows Links Between Particulate Matter and Heart Attacks in San Diego County
”Overall, this work demonstrates that there is an association between elevated local PM concentrations in San Diego County communities with emergency hospital visits due to heart attacks, and that these associations are an environmental justice issue disproportionally affecting disadvantaged communities.”
“Every day, 12.6 million Americans are exposed to toxic air pollution from active oil and gas wells and from fossil fuel transport and processing.”
How Air Pollution Can Hurt the Brain: Part1 & Part 2
How Air Pollution Threatens Brain Health
Air Pollution, Cognitive Deficits and Brain Abnormalities
First of its kind study in the US will examine air pollution and community noise exposure as risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Link for article
Multiple Threats to Child Health from Fossil Fuel Combustion: Impacts of Air Pollution and Climate Change
“…developing children, and especially poor children, now bear a disproportionate burden of disease from both environmental pollution and climate change due to fossil fuel combustion.”
“…statistically significant association between heat, ozone, or fine particulate matter and adverse pregnancy outcomes.”
“Exposure to certain pollutants in the first trimester increased the risks of preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, and gestational diabetes mellitus. Additionally, exposure to one form of air pollution, PM2.5, increased the risk of hypertensive disorders (high blood pressure) throughout the pregnancy.”
“Air pollution is a major environmental health problem in Indigenous communities.”
EPA plans release of proposed rule Summer 2022 with final rule Spring 2023
Click here for EPA review of National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)
AQI (Air Quality Index)
AQI is an easy-to-understand scale to show air pollution health risks.
It uses 6 pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and ground level ozone)
#GetTheGasOffWorkersBacks
“…gas mowers emit 16 times as much planet-warming carbon dioxide per acre as electric mowers.”
“In California, gas-powered leaf blowers and similar equipment could soon produce more ozone pollution than cars do.”
California has banned the sale of gas-powered leaf blowers, lawn mowers, generators and other small off-road engines by 2024.
Small gas-powered engines create as much smog in California as all the cars. 15.4 million small off-road engines make almost 141 tons of pollution per day.
Please go to San Diegans for Sustainable, Equitable & Quiet Equipment in Landscaping (SD-SEQUEL) for more information
“Gas-powered landscape equipment has an outsized environmental impact. In California, leaf blowers contribute more to pollution than vehicles.”
“Most models utilize a two-stroke engine where only 70% of the fuel completely combusts. As a result, two-stroke engines produce nearly 300 times the greenhouse gas emissions of a pickup truck.”
“Blowers blast air up to 280 miles per hour, which can erode topsoil and disperses pollen, fertilizers, and herbicides in the air. Insects can be blasted from their habitats and birds are driven away.”
Particulate Matter Sizes
Dangers of Methane/Natural Gas
Natural gas is methane, a hazardous indoor air pollutant and a major contributor to climate change.
“Burning gas in a cooking stove releases several known respiratory irritants, including nitrogen dioxide, ultrafine particulate matter (PM 2.5) and carbon monoxide into the air. Nitrogen dioxide has been shown to cause asthma in children in a dose-response manner — the higher the level, the worse the asthma symptoms.”
“Gas stoves are responsible for 12.7% of U.S. childhood asthma cases”
“The proportion of childhood asthma that could be theoretically prevented if gas stove use was not present… varied by state (Illinois = 21.1%; California = 20.1%; New York = 18.8%; Massachusetts = 15.4%; Pennsylvania = 13.5%).”
“When we fire up a gas stove, we’re releasing a powerful climate pollutant into kitchens and beyond. But a new study found that this isn’t just happening when the stove is on. Even when turned off, a typical gas stove will send methane up to the atmosphere.”
“According to scientists, the level of air pollution emitted by gas stoves would be illegal if it were outdoors. Regulators have failed to set standards for indoor air quality despite the known danger. “
“One of the clearest signals emerging in the scientific literature is the connection between cooking with gas and childhood asthma… A 2013 meta-analysis of 41 studies found that children living in homes with gas stoves had a 42 percent higher risk of experiencing asthma symptoms, and, over their lifetime, a 24 percent increase in the risk of being diagnosed with asthma.”
Air Pollution and Diabetes
“The particles examined in this study are known as PM2.5, or particulate matter…”
“The EPA’s pollution threshold on particulate matter is 12 μg/m3, or micrograms per cubic meter of air, but this study says the risk of diabetes starts at about 2.4 μg/m3.
“…air pollution could be a key risk factor for abnormal glucose metabolism and diabetes…”
“…childhood asthma was a risk factor for Type 1 Diabetes.”
“Exposure to air pollutants is significantly associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes…”
“It is suggested that, environmental protection officials must take high priority steps to minimize the air pollution, hence to decrease the incidence of type 2 diabetes…”
Air Quality Tools
California Dept of Health Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
EPA Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Tools For Schools Reference Guide
EPA - Learning and Training for Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in Schools
Check Air Quality and Report Pollution
Air Pollution Complaints | California Air Resources Board
California Air Resources Board - BreathWell
San Diego County “Tell Us Now” App to Report Air Quality, etc. - iPhone, Android
EPA School Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Assessment Mobile App
Indoor Air Quality Certifications
UL Indoor Air Quality Certification Program
Reset Building Standard and Certification Program
Laws and Regulations
CA Air Resources Board (CARB) Community Air Protection Program
Clean Air Act: What It Is and What It Has Done
Minnesota, New Mexico to adopt California vehicle emissions rules
Overview of the U.S. Clean Air Act
S.1750 - Clean School Bus Act of 2019
Articles
Links Below:
Clean Air Act Turns 50: Saved Millions of Lives and Trillions of Dollars
Air Pollution Triggers Heart Attacks and Strokes
Aliso Canyon Blowout Disaster Exposed Residents to Benzene
Air Pollution Around Schools Is Linked To Poor Student Health And Academic Performance
Air Pollution Increases ER Visits
Asthma Rates Dropped With Less Air Pollution
Childhood Asthma: A Lingering Effect of Redlining
Children’s Environmental Health Disparities: Black and African American Children and Asthma
Diesel pollution stunts children’s lung growth, major study shows
How Air Pollution Harms Your Body
How Air Pollution Is Doing More Than Just Killing Us
How Much Asthma Does Traffic Pollution Cause in Your City?
More than 90% of the world’s children breathe toxic air every day
Detailed Map of Auto Emissions in America
People of Color and the Poor Disproportionately Exposed to Air Pollution
The Polluted Brain: Evidence Builds That Dirty Air Causes Alzheimer’s, Dementia
Study Finds Babies at risk in strollers from car exhaust
Study Finds Racial Gap Between Who Causes Air Pollution And Who Breathes It
World Health Organization (WHO) - Air Quality and Health
World Health Organization (WHO) - Ambient air pollution: Health Impacts
Light Shows, not Fireworks
Link to Sign On Letter To Stop SeaWorld Fireworks
“Pollutants that emerge from fireworks travel quite a distance – 62 miles downwind…contributing to toxic pollution in the air, and then taking their toxicity to watersheds when the heavy metals are washed out of the air by rainfall.”
“…a study in the US found that particulate concentrations increased by up to 370% in the 24 hours after an Independence Day firework display. The particles remain suspended in the air and can be breathed in. This can cause respiratory problems, or exacerbate conditions such as asthma. Long term exposure to particulate matter is associated with respiratory and cardiovascular disease.”
Fireworks start an average of 18,500 fires per year, including 1,300 structure fires, 300 vehicle fires, and 16,900 outside and other fires. These fires caused an average of three deaths, 40 civilian injuries, and an average of $43 million in direct property damage. Click for link
In 2017, U.S. hospital emergency rooms treated an estimated 12,900 people for fireworks related injuries; 54% of those injuries were to the extremities and 36% were to the head. Children younger than 15 years of age accounted for more than one-third (36%) of the estimated 2017 injuries. These injury estimates were obtained or derived from the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s 2015 Fireworks Annual Report
*Click on Links Below:
*Divestment from Fossil Fuels
*No Wood Smoke
*No Idling
*Transportation
*Stopping Smoking/Vaping
*Pollution Mapping Tools
*Stop Gas Powered Leaf Blowers
*DIY Air Filter
*Dangers of Methane/Natural Gas
*Air Pollution and Diabetes
*Lightshows, Not Fireworks
