People in Knoxville breathe air that is too often dangerous-a public health issue that impacts even healthy, vibrant individuals as well as those most at risk-children, the elderly and people with chronic health conditions like diabetes, heart and lung disease.
     In fact, Knoxville ranks 14th in the nation for the worst ozone pollution and 21st in the nation for the worst particle pollution, according to the American Lung Association's State of the Air 2010 report released April 28, which finds mixed news throughout the U.S.
     A decade of cleanup measures to reduce emissions from coal-fired powered plants and the transition to cleaner diesel fuels and engines have paid off in cutting levels of deadly particle and ozone pollution, especially in eastern and midwestern U.S. cities. Despite that progress, more than half the U.S. still suffers dangerous pollution levels. Some cities, mostly in California, had air that was more polluted than in the previous report.
     "State of the Air 2010 proves with hard data that cleaning up air pollution produces healthier air, and it should drive home to everyone how imperative it is to give ourselves healthy air to breathe," said Margaret Smith, program director for the American Lung Association in Tennessee. "People can make individual changes that will impact air quality, and the American Lung Association is working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to require even greater clean up of power plants, and we are also calling for additional funding to install equipment to clean up the 20 million dirty diesel vehicles currently on the road polluting U.S. cities like Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville every day."
     The State of the Air report, found at www.stateoftheair.org, provides an annual national air quality "report card," based on the color-coded Air Quality Index, to assign grades to counties. The 2010 report-the 11th annual release-uses the most recent quality-assured air pollution data, collected in 2006, 2007 and 2008. These data come from official monitors for the two most widespread types of pollution: ozone-or smog- and particle pollution-or soot. Particle pollution data are graded according to both year-round and short-term levels. The report ranks cities and counties based on their scores.
     Knox County scored F for short-term particle pollution based on the number of high particle pollution days annually. Particle pollution-called fine particulate matter or PM 2.5-is a combination of tiny specks of soot, dust and aerosols that are suspended in the air. Spikes in short-term levels of particle pollution can last anywhere from hours to days. High year-round particle pollution creates unhealthy levels day-in and day-out.
     "People with heart or lung diseases, children and older adults are the most likely to be affected by particle pollution exposure," said Smith. "Numerous scientific studies have linked particle pollution exposure to a variety of problems, such as irritation of the airways, coughing, or difficulty breathing. It also causes irregular heartbeat, heart attacks and even premature death in people with heart or lung disease."
     Knox County also scored an F for ozone-or smog-the most widespread air pollutant. Ground-level ozone forms when nitrogen oxide gases and volatile organic compounds (carbon-containing chemicals that evaporate easily into the air, like gasoline vapors) from vehicle and industrial emissions react in the sunlight and heat.
     Breathing ozone irritates your lungs, leaving them with something like a bad sunburn and can cause health problems the day you breathe it in and even days after. Ozone can cause wheezing, coughing, asthma attacks and even shorten your life.     
     The EPA is currently considering tighter limits on ozone; those ambient air quality standards drive the work that communities do to clean up ozone and other pollutants. The American Lung Association has called on the EPA to set standards that provide much greater protection for public health.
     "Reducing ozone to healthy levels and protecting all from this potentially deadly air pollutant requires individual action, tough state regulations and much stronger federal standards," Smith explained. "America still has a long way to go before all of us are breathing healthy air. We won't settle for less."
     The American Lung Association in Tennessee is urging our Congressional members to vote in support of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 2010, which will cut emissions from coal-fired power plants that create particle pollution and ozone.
     "We also are calling on Congress to also ensure that only clean diesel equipment is used in federally-funded construction projects, and to provide funds for the cleanup of existing diesel engines," said Smith. "The EPA needs to finish measures to clean up power plants and ocean-going vessels, strengthen national standards for outdoor air pollutants-especially ozone and particle pollution-and set tough new standards to require the cleanup of nitrogen oxide, hydrocarbons and particle emissions from cars."
     Individuals can take personal steps every day to improve air quality immediately and ultimately impact climate change. Drive less. Don't burn wood or trash. Use less electricity, and make sure your local school system requires clean school buses.
     Visit www.lungusa.org to search local air quality grades by zip code and to send messages to Congress and the Obama Administration to urge action to protect the air we breathe.

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