In an article by Lisa Friedman in the New York Times, two Moms Clean Air Force state organizers, Karin Stein of Iowa, and Hazel Chandler of Arizona, are quoted about a groundbreaking new air pollution study. The study, which followed 68.5 million older Americans, found the risk of dying early from exposure to air pollution, even at very low levels, impacted people who live in rural areas and towns with little industry across the US.
Here’s an excerpt highlighting our Moms Clean Air Force organizers:
Karin Stein, 60, lives in rural Iowa and is concerned about how wildfire smoke exacerbates her heart condition.
“It’s idyllic,” she said. “But you have the Western wildfires, or it’s harvest time. We assume that there are no air quality issues. But that’s simply false.”
Hazel Chandler, 76, lives in Phoenix, Arizona and is worried about the cumulative effects of living with air pollution for 40 years.
“Ms. Chandler, a consultant with Moms Clean Air Force, a nonprofit environmental group, said she worried about older people with heart conditions and other health issues that can be exacerbated by pollution. But she’s even more concerned about young children.
“I moved to Phoenix when I was about 30 and it still has impacted my ability to breathe,” she said. “If it’s affecting older people, what is it going to do to the children who are living here and breathing this their whole life?”