This post was written by Dr. Harry Wang and cross-posted from the Sacramento Bee:
My daughter was 8 when she was hospitalized because of a severe asthma attack. Air pollution had long been a professional concern for me, but this experience elevated the issue to a highly personal and very frightening level.
Although the quality of the air we breathe has improved significantly since 1970, when a bipartisan Congress passed the Clean Air Act, millions of Americans are still experiencing for themselves variations of my family’s story – and not always with a happy ending. Fortunately, there’s something that we can do.
On Thursday, Californians have an opportunity to fight for our right to breathe clean air. The Environmental Protection Agency is holding a public hearing in Sacramento to take public comment on its proposal to crack down on fine particle pollution, commonly called soot. Fine soot particles are tiny – you could fit dozens in a single grain of sand.
They’re also deadly. Soot particles penetrate deep into the body causing lung and heart disease, stroke and premature death.
Californians should especially be concerned because the top five most polluted cities in the United States for both year-round and short-term particle pollution are in California. Sacramento ranks 21st in the country for highest short-term particle pollution.
But action can be taken…CLICK HERE to continue reading.