Nearly half of all Americans, that’s 148 million, are living in areas where smog and soot particles are health risk. Over 131.8 million people — 42 percent of the nation — live where pollution levels are too often dangerous to breathe.
Smog, or ozone, had worsened in 22 of the 25 biggest US metropolitan areas, including Los Angeles, Houston, Washington-Baltimore, New York City and Chicago – and said there was a high risk of more high-ozone days because of climate change. California’s pollution control officers warned this month that extreme heat and wildfires could set back decades of improvements in air quality, boosting smog formation and spewing dangerous smoke into the air.
There is growing concern globally about the health risks of air pollution. Scientific research shows that smog and soot are far more harmful at lower levels than previously thought. A growing body of research over the last decade has connected air pollution to increased deaths from heart disease and respiratory illnesses. The World Health Organisation said last autumn that particulate pollution causes lung cancer.
From the Countercurrent website
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