Conduct an education campaign that teaches citizens about link between air quality and health.

Purpose

Teach people how to reduce their loved ones’ exposure to air pollution and to reduce air pollution through individual actions.

Advocate policy change for cleaner air.

Why Is Air Quality Important?

As important as water quality

Knows no boundaries

Affects everyone’s healthchildren elderlythose with existing lung and health ailments

What Do We Mean by “Air Quality?”

EPA establishes limits for pollutants that are harmful to public health and the environment.

Limits or “standards” are to protect public health, including sensitive populations.

Pollutants regulated by EPA: Ozone, Particulate Matter, Carbon Monoxide, Sulfur Dioxide, Nitrogen Oxides, Lead.

Pollutants of concern in GA: Ozone and Particulate Matter

Ground-level OzoneFormation

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)

Fuels, Paints, Solvents, &

Vegetation

Combustion Processes

Ozone (O3)Smog+

Only a problem in summer because sunlight and heat are required

Causes asthma attacks

Ozone

Only a problem outside

Reduces lung function even in healthy people

Particulate Matter (PM)

Photo courtesy of SACEPhoto courtesy of SACE

Human Hair (70 µm diameter)

Hair cross section (70 mm)

PM2.5

(2.5 µm)PM10

(10µm)

A complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets

What is PM?

M. Lipsett, California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment

Particulate Matter (PM)

Problem year round outside and indoors

Increases mortality-causes lung cancertriggers asthma attacksheart disease

Living in a region that fails to meet PM 2.5 standard increases a person’s risk of dying of lung cancer by about the same amount as being frequently exposed to second-hand smoke.

EPA estimates that achieving the federal standard for PM would save 23,000 lives a year.

Studies by Brigham Young University, New York University, and the Environmental Protection Agency

PM from power plants in GA:

  shortens the lives of 946 Georgians each year  causes 156,763 lost work days results in 837 hospitalizations causes 26,442 asthma attacks, 1,369 severe enough to require emergency room visits

Studies by American Cancer Society, Harvard School of Public Health

What Does This Mean for Georgia?

11% of Georgia’s children have asthma

15% of Fulton county’s children have asthma

Asthma is the #1 reason for school absences nationally

#1 reason for admission to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

In 2003, 88,000 children missed 540,000 school days

Atlanta is the 4th most challenging city to live in with asthma

Atlanta is the 4th worst city in the country for soot pollution

How Can I Protect My Family?

Sign up for Clean Air Campaign’s “Smog Alert Day” email at www.cleanaircampaign.com or call 404-362-4909 to get the current air quality report (Atlanta, Savannah, Athens, Columbus, Macon, Augusta)

Obtain a copy of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s smog activity matrix available at www.choa.org/Menus/Documents/wellness/ozone.pdf

Limit outdoor activities on bad air days

What Can I Do To Reduce Air Pollution?

Drive less- carpool, take transit, walk, bike

Combine errands into one trip Park and walk into fast food

restaurants and banks instead of using drive-thrus

During the summer, refuel between 7 PM and 7AM

Conserve energy by turning off lights, computers, and appliances when not in use

Buy Energy Star appliances and compact fluorescent light bulbs

What Can I Do At My Child’s School?

Establish anti-idling rules for school buses and carpool lanes

Encourage school system to become part of the Adopt-A-School Bus program and the Clean Air Campaign’s Better Air Schools Program

Host a performance by the Better Air BAIR

Empower students through environmental education

How Does Mothers & Others for Clean Air Fit In?

Education: Making the link between air quality and health effects Learning how to protect your family Learning things you can do to improve air quality www.georgiaconservancy.org/mothers

Advocacy: Mobilize you to affect policy by asking

decision makers (principals to legislators) to implement better policies that will clean our air.

Action: Practicing new actions to improve air quality

Network

Coalition

Partnership Council

Partners

How Do I Fit Into Mothers & Others for Clean Air?

Mothers & Others for Clean Air Pledge

I pledge my support for cleaner air and healthier communities

through education,

voluntary action,

and policy change.

Felicia Davis: fdavis@gaconservancy.orgor 404-876-2900 x 108Sanders Moore: smoore@gaconservancy.orgor 404-876-2900 x 109