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

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

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

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

  2. Why Is Air Quality Important? • As important as water quality • Knows no boundaries • Affects everyone’s health • children • elderly • those with existing lung and health ailments

  3. 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

  4. Ground-level OzoneFormation Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) + Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) Ozone (O3) Smog Combustion Processes Fuels, Paints, Solvents, & Vegetation

  5. Ozone • Only a problem in summer because sunlight and heat are required • Only a problem outside • Causes asthma attacks • Reduces lung function even in healthy people

  6. Particulate Matter (PM) Photo courtesy of SACE Photo courtesy of SACE

  7. PM2.5 (2.5 µm) PM10 (10µm) What is PM? A complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets Hair cross section (70 mm) Human Hair (70 µm diameter) M. Lipsett, California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment

  8. Particulate Matter (PM) • Problem year round outside and indoors • Increases mortality- • causes lung cancer • triggers asthma attacks • heart disease

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. What Does This Mean for Georgia? • 11% of Georgia’s children have asthma • 15% of Fulton county’s children • have asthma • Atlanta is the 4th most challenging city to • live in with asthma • Atlanta is the 4th worst city in the country for soot pollution • #1 reason for admission to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta • Asthma is the #1 reason for school absences nationally • In 2003, 88,000 children missed 540,000 school days

  12. How Can I Protect My Family? • Limit outdoor activities on bad air days • Obtain a copy of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s • smog activity matrix available at • www.choa.org/Menus/Documents/wellness/ozone.pdf • 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)

  13. 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

  14. What Can I Do At My Child’s School? • Establish anti-idling rules for school buses and carpool lanes • Host a performance by the Better Air BAIR • Empower students through environmental education • Encourage school system to become part of the Adopt-A-School • Bus program and the Clean Air Campaign’s Better • Air Schools Program

  15. 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 • Action: • Practicing new actions to improve air quality • Advocacy: • Mobilize you to affect policy by asking decision makers (principals to legislators) to implement better policies that will clean our air.

  16. How Do I Fit Into Mothers & Others for Clean Air? Coalition Network Partnership Council Partners

  17. 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.org or 404-876-2900 x 108 Sanders Moore: smoore@gaconservancy.org or 404-876-2900 x 109

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