People in western states are breathing dirtier, more polluted air — and worsening heat, drought and wildfires are fueling the pollution, according to a new report.
The report published by the American Lung Association on Wednesday points to widening divisions in exposure to unhealthy air. Nearly 120 million people across the United States, more than a third of the population, lived in counties that had unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution between 2019 and 2021, and many of them lived in the West.
“Climate change is impacting the East differently than the West,” said Katherine Pruitt, the lead author and editor of the report. “The heat and drought in the West are driving pollution.” That burden is also shared unequally, and communities of color continue to be disproportionately affected by high pollution levels, according to the report. More than 64 million people of color lived in counties with high air pollution exposure, more than half of all those living with unhealthy air.
“What we’re seeing is a growing gap in the experience of eastern and western states and between people of color and White people,” Pruitt said. “We are making progress, but the progress is unequally distributed.”
In the “State of the Air” report, researchers focused on two of the most widespread and dangerous air pollutants: ground-level ozone pollution and fine particulate-matter air pollution. Pollution at the ground level is a result of emissions from by cars, refineries, power plants and other sources, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. This kind of pollution can cause difficulty breathing, coughing and can cause and aggravate asthma.
Fine particulate-matter air pollution can be caused by factories and refineries, wildfires, coal-fired power plants, and emissions from cars and trucks. Exposure to fine particulate-matter air pollution can trigger irritation for your eyes, nose and throat, and more severe consequences including heart attacks, and lung cancer, as well as premature death.
Among the worst cities for annual particle pollution, cities in the West affected by drought and wildfires represented the biggest share, according to the report. There were eight cities in California, three in Oregon, and three others in Alaska, Arizona and Washington state.
Read more from Amudalat Ajasa of The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/04/19/heat-drought-fires-worsen-air-west-report-says-minorities-suffer-most/.
