More than 1/3 of people in the US exposed to harmful air pollution – report

Hello folks. Seems that air pollution is still a major issue in the US. Well, I live in an area of clean air, but got an air purifier cos of the Canadian wildfires in 2022. But, this article says that over 100M+ people in the US are potentially exposed to harmful levels of pollution. This is one thing that both left and right should agree upon, religious* and non-religious: We have got to protect the one planet we have got. Yes, there is Mars (a desolate desert planet), but it is the nature of big corporations to treat everything as property and defile it. By the way, the article mentions Bakersfield, CA. I have been to that city in September 2023, and the air did not seem that bad, but my reasoning is from a small sample size of just a few days. Article link: More than one-third of people in the US exposed to harmful air pollution – report


Short summary of the open-access article by The Guardian (<20% in length, for fair usage reasons):

In a report published by the Guardian on April 24, 2024, author Aliya Uteuova reveals that nearly 131 million people in the US are exposed to harmful levels of air pollution (according to the American Lung Association), with California having the most polluted metropolitan areas due to wildfires, drought, and extreme heat. Circa 40% of the US population is affected by unhealthy levels of ozone and particle pollution, an increase of 11.7 million from the previous year. Exposure to these pollutants can lead to lung and heart disease, asthma attacks, and reproductive ailments. The report also highlights the disproportionate impact on people of color due to historical racist zoning practices. California's Bakersfield and Los Angeles top the list of most polluted cities for particle pollution and ozone, respectively. The Biden administration has recently introduced new standards to reduce tailpipe emissions, but advocates call for further action on ozone standards. Pediatrician Afif El-Hasan emphasizes the need for collective efforts to improve air quality, as individuals have no control over it.


*Verse (for Christians): Isaiah 24:4-6: "The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the heavens languish with the earth. The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt.

Seems that this curse appears to be caused by directly from us, from burning excessive amounts of fossil fuels. So yes, even the Bible warns us, cos the curse is pollution itself. And the heavens in this verse most likely refers to our atmosphere, or sky. Big Oil defenders joining the thread in 10, 9, 8, 7...

Akita Suggagaki said:

And up to half of adults who get x-rays and CT scans have Lung nodules.

Should I Worry About Pulmonary Nodules?

Your provider notes a pulmonary nodule on your X-ray or CT scan results — is it serious? Learn more about what causes these growths and next steps.

my.clevelandclinic.org

Fungal infections, especially those prevalent in specific geographic regions like the histoplasmosis found in the Mississippi River valley or coccidioidomycosis in the southwestern United States, can lead to nodular formations.

Click to expand...

Yep, that also. But we are discussing air pollution from smoke particles and ozone. Seems that the air is filled with everything we do not want in our lungs, whether that me from emissions or from fungus.

Akita Suggagaki said:

Right, we certainly do not need to add to what nature already has out there. Air quality has improved significantly in recent decades following passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970. However, there are still many areas of the country where the public is exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollutants and sensitive ecosystems are damaged by air pollution. Despite great progress in air quality improvement, approximately 85 million people nationwide lived in counties with pollution levels above the primary NAAQS in 2022.
View attachment 346510

Air Quality - National Summary | US EPA

National summary of air quality trends and status

www.epa.gov

Click to expand...

Wow, that is scary. I am glad that air quality is improving overall, but we still got a long ways to go. When I was in California on vacation, I saw some haze from wildfires, and other sources. I wore my N95 mask in the sequoia forest cos of the pollution.

Akita Suggagaki said:

Air Quality Is Worsening for Half of the World’s People​

A new study shows that most of us humans are likely inhaling more air pollution each year.​

Air Quality Is Worsening for Half of the World’s People

A new study shows that most of us humans are likely inhaling more air pollution each year.

www.nrdc.org

Climate change is undoing decades of progress on air quality​

Climate change is undoing decades of progress on air quality • Minnesota Reformer

One in 4 Americans are now exposed to unhealthy air, according to a report by First Street Foundation.

minnesotareformer.com

Click to expand...

Wow, seems that it is getting worse for the world. This is a dire warning of what is to come if we do not cut emissions immediately.