smog sends 53,000 people to the hospital each summer and triggers more than six million asthma attacks in the eastern United States, according to estimates released by clean air activists. Smog created in the summer is called ground-level ozone, the main culprit in what environmentalists believe is a public health crisis generated by coal-fired power plants. "Despite popular impressions, this is not just a Northeast problem," said Conrad Schneider, technical and policy coordinator for the Clean Air Task Force ( catf ). "From Texas to Illinois and from Georgia to Maine, and everywhere in between, people are admitted to the hospital for serious, prolonged respiratory distress due to ozone smog," the task force added.
The national campaign against dirty air highlights the problem by noting that Texas had 660,000 asthma attacks, New York more than 500,000 and Washington, dc , 800 hospital admissions due to summer smog.
We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.
.png)
Comments are moderated and will be published only after the site moderator’s approval. Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name. Selected comments may also be used in the ‘Letters’ section of the Down To Earth print edition.