N.Y., Calif. Air Is Dirtiest, EPA Says

[ I just got this from Marc Bremmer from NY Climate Rescue ... and I added the Mayor's contact info. Please pass this on. - Mary ]

Well, it�s official, that rattling in your lungs is not just because you forgot to take a run this week or to do your breathing exercises. It�s because we�re breathing the worst air in the nation (See article below). Air quality has gotten steadily worse under Bloomberg and he has not done enough to deal with it. I think it�s time to reprise that letter I wrote last year: www.climaterescue.org/Worst.htm. Let�s all send him one.

the mayor's e-mail page is at nyc.gov
OR
You can write / FAX him at:
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
PHONE 311 (or 212-NEW-YORK outside NYC)

FAX (212) 788-2460
_______________________________________________

N.Y., Calif. Air Is Dirtiest, EPA Says Great Warming!

2 hours, 46 minutes ago - AP

LOS ANGELES - New Yorkers and Californians breathe the dirtiest air in the nation and face higher cancer risks than the rest of the nation, according to the latest data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

New Yorkers' risk of developing cancer from air toxins is estimated to be 68 residents per million. In California, the risk is 66 residents per million.

The national average is 41.5 per million, according to the report, which was released in February and based on emissions of 177 chemicals in 1999, the most recent data available.

Oregon, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey had the third, fourth and fifth worst air in the nation, respectively, the EPA said. Rural residents of Wyoming, South Dakota and Montana breathed the cleanest air.

The EPA assessment evaluated toxins including heavy metals, such as lead; volatile chemicals, such as benzene; combustion byproducts, such as acrolein; and solvents, including perchloroethylene and methylene chloride.

Benezene alone contributed a quarter of the individual cancer risk identified in this assessment, the primary source of it being vehicles, according to the study.

The National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) is a screening tool that estimates cancer and other health risks from exposure to air toxins. It provides a snapshot of air quality and the risks if 1999 emissions levels remained unchanged. It does not reflect reductions in air toxins that may have occurred since 1999.



Marc Brammer

Executive Director

New York Climate Rescue

e-mail : mbrammer 'at' climaterescue.org

www.climaterescue.org