It's like a sunburn on your lungs

It's like a sunburn on your lungs

Air pollution is one of the major consequences of a transportation system that provides few real, safe, viable alternatives to cars.

The American Lung Association -- an active member of the CTC -- describes the effects of automobile pollution on Rhode Islanders in chilling, but easy to understand terms:

It's like getting a sunburn on your lungs.

The process starts when we turn the ignition and nitrogen dioxide and hydrocarbon emissions spew from our cars. These pollutants combine in the atmosphere and -- when heated by the sun -- produce photochemical smog, which includes ozone.

While ozone high up in the atmosphere helps protect the planet from the sun's ultraviolet radiation, at breathing level ozone is a major pollutant. During the warm months -- from April through September last year -- there were 6 days that exceeded the current Federal air quality standards, which puts Rhode Island in Nonattainment of that standard. In that same time period there were almost a month's worth of days (29) which equaled or exceeded the level at which the American Lung Association believes the Federal standard should be set to actually protect public health.

More than a quarter of the pollutant gases that combine to make ozone smog throughout the state come from motor vehicles.

The process continues when we take our first breath after venturing outside. The ozone we inhale reacts chemically with our internal body tissues, primarily those in our lungs.

The ozone irritates and inflames the respiratory system and lung lining -- as if they were getting a sunburn -- and may lead to a range of health symptoms including shortness of breath, chest pain, wheezing and coughing.

Areas with high ozone levels see increased numbers of asthma attacks that require medical treatment and sometimes hospitalization for people with lung diseases, such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD-chronic bronchitis and emphysema). More than 100,000 Rhode Island adults and children have asthma.

Children also face a great risk, because their airways are smaller, their respiratory defenses are not fully developed, and their higher breathing rates increase their exposure. In fact, children who grow up in areas of high ozone pollution may never develop their full lung capacity as adults. That can put them at greater risk of lung disease throughout their lives.

Rhode Islanders who work or exercise outdoors, senior citizens and "responders"-- otherwise healthy individuals who experience health effects at lower levels of exposure than the average person -- are also at higher risk.

And, of course, the harmful effects of automobile pollution don't end there. Vehicle exhaust also includes toxic air pollutants that contribute to many forms of cancer, and easily-breathed-in fine particles.

Those particles, along with carbon monoxide, which replaces oxygen in the blood, help make traffic pollution a major contributor to cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and stroke, as well as lung disease.

You can read more about the broad health impacts of our lack of transportation choices on the American Lung Association's website at lungusa.org, and the American Public Health Association website at apha.org.

About the Coalition for Transportation Choices

The Coalition for Transportation Choices (CTC) calls for a 21st century transportation system that enhances our economy and provides all Rhode Islanders with healthy transportation choices.

Rhode Island's 21st century transportation system must provide all people - employees, tourists, youth, elderly, able and disabled - with safe and dependable access to their community's opportunities for work, education, services, and recreation. The system should be considerably less dependent on cars and fossil fuels as well as efficient, effective and easy to use. It should minimize impacts to land, water and air and improve the health and well-being of all Rhode Islanders. Such a system should be sustained with predictable and consistent funding for operation and future growth.

CTC's work is supported by the Rhode Island Foundation, The Prospect Hill Foundation and Third Sector New England's Capacity Building Fund

Coalition For

Transportation Choices Member Groups

* AARP

* Amalgamated Transit Union

* American Lung Association in RI

* Apeiron Institute for Sustainable Living

* Aquidneck Island Planning Commission

* Audubon Society of Rhode Island

* Blueways Alliance

* Blackstone Valley Partnership

* Blackstone Valley Tourism Council

* Blueways Alliance

* Brown emPower

* Childhood Lead Action Project

* City-State, the Urban Design Lab at RISD

* Clean Water Action

* Conservation Law Foundation

* Cornish Associates

* DOT Watch

* East Coast Greenway Alliance

* Ecolect

* Environmental Justice League of RI

* Farm Fresh Rhode Island

* Goodwill Industries

* Grow Smart RI

* Head of the Bay Gateway

* LISC-RI

* Narragansett Bay Estuary Program

* Opportunities Unlimited, Inc.

* Pawtucket Foundation

* Providence Foundation

* Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau

* Recycle-A-Bike

* Rhode Island Bicycle Coalition

* RI Consulting Engineers (RICE)

* Rhode Island Student Climate Coalition

* RI Association of Railroad Passengers

* RI Interfaith Power and Light

* RI Land Trust Council

* RICOSH

* Save The Bay

* SEIU, District 1199

* Sierra Club

* The Providential Gardener

* U.S. Open Cycling

* Working Rhode Island

* Youth in Action