The American Lung Association released its 25th annual “State of the Air” survey for the US, reporting that 40% of the population live with poor air quality, an increase of nearly 12 million people since last year’s survey. More people than ever have experienced “very unhealthy” or “hazardous” air quality days. Air pollution can exacerbate people’s medical conditions such as asthma and psoriasis, as well as affect pregnancies.
The Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health noticed an uptick in preterm births during periods of heavy wildfire events: “When we have weeks of poor air quality, we see more pregnant individuals coming in and delivering before 37 weeks.” They counsel parents about the risk factors associated with of heat and smoke during pregnancy.
Top Five US Cities Most Polluted by Year-Round Particle Pollution:
- Bakersfield, CA
- Visalia, CA
- Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA
- Eugene-Springfield, OR
- San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA
Top Five Cleanest US Cities (listed in alphabetical order):
- Bangor, ME
- Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA
- Lincoln-Beatrice, NE
- Urban Honolulu, HI
- Wilmington, NC
To the north, Canada's 2024 wildfire season began one month earlier than last year. 2024 is expected to be even worse than last year's blazes which devastated millions of hectares, sending smoke, carbon, and other particulates into the atmosphere.
Sources:
www.lung.org/…
gispub.epa.gov/…
www.nbcnews.com/…
www.nbcnews.com/…
hazards.fema.gov/…
news.ubc.ca/…
nationalpost.com/...