From Environmental Health Perspectives:
The latest finding from the study team zeroes in on the impact of exposure to traffic-related pollutants at home, and shows that kindergarten and first-grade students who lived near busy roads experienced a higher prevalence of asthma.
Children who lived within 75 meters of a major road (about the length of a city block) were approximately 1.5 times more likely to report asthma or wheezing compared to those living 300 meters or more from a major road. Among children with no parental history of asthma, those who had resided at an address close to heavy traffic since before age 2 experienced even higher risks (2.5-fold for asthma and 2.7-fold for wheezing), suggesting that a cumulative lifetime exposure to traffic pollutants may raise health risks. Girls showed a greater association between living near a major road and the health outcomes measured, for unknown reasons.
It would be interesting to do the same study in this area (the Ohio Valley has higher than average incidences of respiratory illnesses). I would imagine the results would be similar to L.A. Not exactly something to be proud of, but it's not like anything would change if I got rid of my awesome SUV. Besides, I need it for all the rugged terrain I have to cross. Have you seen mall parking lots these days?
3 comments:
I can easily keep my kid out of a bar that allows smoking, but there's nothing I can do about the outside air. It is, after all, everywhere!
There's plenty you can do about the outside air. For example, you can put a "Support the air" sticker on your car. Or you can pray to Jesus.
You know, I never thought of that!
I'll begin immediately, praying for Jesus to support the air.
I'll let you know how it works!
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