Posted under Environment
The American Lung Association has published a new report on the state of Maryland’s air. The news isn’t good. Here’s the chart for high ozone days in the state:
During orange days, the air is unhealthy for sensitive populations, such as asthmatics or diabetics. (In Maryland there are about about 400,000 people with asthma and almost 300,000 diabetics.) During the red days the air is unhealthy for everyone. This is more than an environmental problem, it’s an economic problem. When people get sick, health care costs go up which ends up costing everyone money through taxes and insurance premiums.
Clearing the air in Maryland does not only involve reducing pollution in the state but supporting federal efforts to reduce air pollution nationwide. Much of the air pollution in Maryland comes in from nearby industrial states.
You can go to the American Lung Association website and check out the air quality in your zip code.
You can read more on the report at the Baltimore Sun’s Bay & Environment blog.
One Response to “Maryland’s Air Recieves Failing Grade”
Sue J on 12 May 2009 at 11:33 am #
I’m sure Baltimore City is right there with an “F” as well, but it’s disappointing that there isn’t enough data on record (according to the report) to include the city. I would have liked to see the numbers in comparison to the surrounding counties.