Health Effects of Air Pollution

I've been talking a lot about Pittsburgh's air pollution. But why should you care? Because air pollution is associated with serious health risks. If you or someone you love is breathing, read on to learn more about how some of these health issues impact us locally.

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2013, referring to a report that finds local residents at increased risk for cancer.

• The Centers for Disease Control reports that asthma, COPD, heart disease, and stroke are related to air pollution, and children may be particularly affected. 
• Air pollution is also linked to cancer, and experts say the risk may be "grossly underestimated."
• Other risks include premature birth, premature death, infant mortality, and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism.

Source: The Breathe Project

Pittsburgh Air Pollution & Your Health

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

Overall

In 2010, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette conducted a yearlong study of regional health effects from air pollution, in which they performed "mortality mapping" to look for relationships between power plants and specific diseases. Click here to read this amazing series of articles.

According to the Post-Gazette, statistics show that 14,636 more people died from heart disease, respiratory disease, and lung cancer in the region from 2000-2008 than national mortality rates would predict. Even after adjusting for slightly higher smoking rates in Pennsylvania, that's a 10% higher mortality rate overall than expected. Although other factors contribute to the development of these diseases, they have all been linked to air pollution exposure.

A report from the non-profit environmental group Clean Air Task Force, entitled "The Toll from Coal" underscores the impact that our region's coal-fired power plants have on our health. The charts below shows that Pennsylvania is first for health impacts from these plants.

Source: Clean Air Task Force

Asthma

Though genetics, indoor air quality, and smoking play a role in the development and course the disease, experts agree that air pollution contributes to the problem. Since days of high pollution exacerbate asthma attacks, improving air quality in Pittsburgh will improve asthmatics' quality of life.

• Many of the dangerous air pollutants in Pittsburgh, such as particulate matter, ground level ozone, and sulfur dioxide, are known to trigger asthma. 
• About 13-14% of Pittsburghers suffer from asthma, compared with 8-10% of people nationwide.
• Pittsburgh moves from 16th to 15th worst place for asthma, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. 
• Kids in the Northgate Schools, which is downwind from Neville Island's industrial pollution, have asthma rates that are more than double the state average. Researchers think it may be related to black carbon from the area's coke plants. The video below from local station WTAE details the situation.

Cancer

Allegheny County residents are in the top 2% in the country for cancer risk from air pollution, according to a 2013 report released by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. And in some particularly bad areas, the cancer risk is 20 times what would normally be expected.

This increased risk is due to a broad class of air pollutants called hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), which are also known as air toxics. HAPs are a category of approximately 200 unique pollutants specifically identified by the EPA that are known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects and have a tendency to reach significant concentrations in the air we breathe. 

Most HAPs are released into the atmosphere as the result of human activity, with industrial plants and motor vehicles contributing the most. The chart below explains the specific sources of HAPs:

Source: PRETA Report

The report found that the areas with the highest risk levels are clustered in the southeastern corner of Allegheny County where heavy industry affects air quality:

• Liberty-Clairton area near US Steel's Clairton Coke Works
• Communities downwind from Neville Island, home to many industrial sources
• Downtown Pittsburgh, where diesel emissions play a major role

Autism

There is not much research in this area yet, but a recent University of Pittsburgh study made big headlines in our area. Preliminary results from the study revealed that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were more likely to have been exposed to high levels of air toxics during their mothers' pregnancies through the age of 2. The study was performed by interviewing 217 local families with children on the autism spectrum in the Pittsburgh region (Allegheny and five other counties) and comparing that data to families who did not have children with autism. The group then looked at air pollution information to make the correlation. 

The Post-Gazette reports that "Children who fell into higher exposure groups of styrene and chromium were at a 1.4- to two-fold greater risk of ASD, after accounting for the age of the mother, maternal cigarette smoking, race and education. Styrene is used in plastics and paints and is a product of combustion from burning gasoline in vehicles. Air pollution containing chromium is typically the result of the industrial process from industries such as steel manufacturing."

While the researchers agree that more research is needed, the lead author points out that the findings are consistent with the few previous studies that have shown a link between air pollution and ASD.

Know Your Risks & Get Involved!

If you've ever heard a warning about an "Air Quality Action Day" on the news, it's because monitors have detected high levels of air pollution. Click here to see Pittsburgh's air quality (it's good today!) on the AirNow website. 

We all breathe air, so if you live in Pittsburgh, there is not much you can do to avoid the pollution. But you can spread the word about the dangers in our community and get involved in groups that advocate for change! Next up in the Pittsburgh Smog Blog, we will look at local groups fighting for cleaner air.