Air Quality & Air Pollution

According to the State of the Air 2005 report, published by the American Lung Association (ALA), air pollution levels improved in many parts of the nation during the first few years of the new millennium, but millions of Americans still face dangerous levels of air pollution.

The ALA report highlights the sad fact that, despite pro-environmental sentiment and strong regulations, more than half of the U.S. population lives in counties with unsafe levels of either smog or particle pollution.

Air Pollution Threatens the Health of Millions.

Smog is the worst offender and is often directly responsible for cases of decreased lung function, respiratory infection, lung inflammation and aggravation of respiratory illness. Some 142.7 million Americans live in counties rated with failing grades by the ALA for this airborne pollutant.

Meanwhile, another 76.5 million Americans live in areas where they are exposed to unhealthy short-term levels of particle pollution. Children and the elderly are especially at risk. Short-term, or acute, exposure to particle pollution has been linked to increases in heart attacks, strokes, and emergency-room visits for asthma and cardiovascular disease. Particle pollution is most dangerous to those already suffering from asthma, heart disease, bronchitis and emphysema.

Clear Air Act Under Attack in Congress
The ALA’s annual tally of America’s air pollution is based on readings from air quality monitors in every county in the nation. The organization is currently working hard to protect the Clean Air Act from the budget-cutting efforts of several key lawmakers.  It is also engaged in a vigorous campaign to force the cleanup of the country’s dirtiest power plants. Old, coal-fired power plants are among the biggest industrial contributors to unhealthy air, especially particle pollution in the eastern United States.

Individuals can help improve air quality by cutting down on driving to reduce vehicle exhaust, and by refraining from burning wood or trash that sends particle pollution into the air. The ALA also suggests getting involved in community reviews of air pollution plans and supporting state and local efforts to clean up air pollution. Urging members of Congress to protect the Clean Air Act is another way for individuals to get involved.

Health and Children

School Lunches: How to Make Cafeteria Food Better for Kids and the Environment.

Now that many schools have stopped selling sodas and other unhealthy vending machine items to their students, improving the nutritional quality of cafeteria school lunches is on the agenda of many parents and school administrators. And luckily for the environment, healthier food usually means greener food.

Connecting School Lunches with Local Farms

Some forward-thinking schools are leading the charge by sourcing their cafeteria food from local farms and producers.

This saves money and also cuts back on the pollution and global warming impacts associated with transporting food long distances. And since many local producers are turning to organic growing methods, local food usually means fewer pesticides in kids’ school lunches.

School Lunches Linked to Obesity and Poor Nutrition

Alarmed by childhood obesity statistics and the prevalence of unhealthy foods offered to students in schools, the Center for Food and Justice (CFJ) in 2000 spearheaded the national Farm to School lunch program. The program connects schools with local farms to provide healthy cafeteria food while also supporting local farmers. Participating schools not only obtain food locally, they incorporate nutrition-based curriculum and provide students with learning opportunities through visits to the local farms

Farm to School programs now operate in 19 states and in several hundred school districts. CFJ recently received significant support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to expand the program to more states and districts. The group’s website (link below) is loaded with resources to help schools get started.

And in England Jamie Oliver spearheaded a program for London schools for nutritious food for school dinners.

USDA Offers School Lunch Program in 32 States

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also runs a Small Farms/School Meals program that boasts participation in 400 school districts in 32 states. Interested schools can check out the agency’s “Step-by-Step Guide on How to Bring Small Farms and Local Schools Together”, which is available free online.

How Parents Can Improve School Lunches

Of course, parents can ensure that their children eat well at school by forgoing the cafeteria offerings altogether and sending their kids to school with healthy bag lunches. For on-the-go parents unable to keep up with a daily lunch making regimen, innovative companies are beginning to sprout up that will do it for you. Kid Chow in San Francisco, Health e-Lunch Kids in Fairfax, Virginia, New York City’s KidFresh and Manhattan Beach, California’s Brown Bag Naturals will deliver organic and natural food lunches to your kids for about three times the price of a cafeteria lunch. But prices should change for the better as the idea catches on and more volume brings costs down.

Second hand Smoke

What is second hand smoke?

Second hand smoke is a by product of cigarette, cigar or pipe smoking. Second hand smoke occurs when tobacco burns or when smokers exhale, and it is inhaled involuntarily by non-smokers.

Second hand smoke is composed of two types of smoke. The first is called side stream smoke, which is the smoke released from the burning end of a cigarette or cigar, or from tobacco burning in the bowl of a pipe. The second is called mainstream smoke, which is exhaled by a smoker.

Why is second hand smoke dangerous?

When non-smokers are exposed to second hand smoke, they inhale many of the same cancer-causing chemicals that smokers inhale. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemical compounds, including more than 50 cancer-causing chemicals, and at least 250 chemicals that are either toxic or carcinogenic.

Both side stream and mainstream smoke are dangerous to non-smokers. For example, because side stream smoke is generated at lower temperatures and under different conditions than mainstream smoke, it contains higher concentrations of many of the toxins found in cigarette smoke.

Second hand smoke has been designated as a known human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Toxicology Program, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Second hand smoke also is listed as an occupational carcinogen by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

How can non-smokers be protected from second hand smoke?

According to the 2006 report by the U.S. Surgeon General, there is no risk-free level of exposure to second hand smoke: even small amounts of second hand smoke exposure can be harmful to people’s health.

A smoke-free environment is the only way to fully protect non-smokers from the dangers of second hand smoke. Separating smokers from non-smokers, cleaning the air, and ventilating buildings can help, but they cannot eliminate the exposure of non-smokers to second-hand smoke.