Coal, Smog, and Asthma
Coal Plant Pollution Triggers Asthma Attacks and Makes Kids Sick
Asthma strikes 1 out of every 10 school children and is the number one illness that causes kids to miss school in the United States. Children are at the greatest health risk from air pollution because they are more likely to be active outdoors and their lungs are still developing.
Soot and Smog Threaten Our Health
In the United States, there is a 50 percent chance that your air is not safe to breathe [1] -- thanks to dangerous levels of air pollution like smog and soot.
Smog is not just an eyesore. It irritates our lungs, triggers asthma attacks, increases emergency room visits, [2] and can lead to irreversible lung damage or even death.
Soot pollution, meanwhile, causes an estimated 9,700 hospitalizations and more than 20,000 heart attacks each year. Dangerous soot pollution is linked to irregular heartbeat, chronic bronchitis, decreased lung function, and irritation of the airways.
Check our air pollution map to see how dirty air threatens health where you live.
Clean Air Means a Healthy Economy
There is a better way. Clean energy sources like wind and solar can protect our health and boost our economy. No one has ever had an asthma attack triggered by a solar panel.
EPA Action
Late in the summer of 2011, the Obama administration directed the EPA to delay its long-overdue smog protections, which would have required coal plants to install pollution controls and protect public health. In spite of this delay, the Sierra Club is working to keep up the pressure on President Obama and to support the EPA in addressing the smog pollution that triggers asthma attacks.
Show your support for families and children affected by asthma from coal plants:
1 http://www.stateoftheair.org/2011/key-findings/
2 http://www.stateoftheair.org/2011/health-risks/health-risks-ozone.html
