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July 2014 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net |
INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE
Clean Air
Saves Lives
By John A.
Patterson MD,
MSPH, FAAFP
The most vulnerable members of our
society (children,
the elderly, pregnant women and
the chronically ill) are the ones
most affected by the health impact
of air pollution.
Although improvements in US
air quality have been substantial
since the Clean Air Act was initially authorized in 1970, many
Kentuckians are still innocent victims of preventable disease caused
or aggravated by air pollution.
Kentucky is among the national
leaders in premature deaths from
this preventable health risk.
The American Lung Association’s
2014 report ‘State of the Air’ ranks
Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati
and Louisville/Jefferson County as
the 11th and 13th worst US cities,
respectively, in year-round air pollution. Particle pollution (particulate
matter or PM) consists of tiny liquid droplets or solid particles composed of dust, dirt, soot and smoke.
Though some particles are too
small to see, ot