"Health Effects of Air Pollution" in Medford
Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, 25.02.2009 12:02
FUN AND EDUCATIONAL EVENT ON MARCH 9TH! SHARE THE NEWS!
Contact Maye Thompson by return email for more information: 
maye@oregonpsr.org
Oregon PSR will present its new program, "A Breathable Future: Health Effects of Air Pollution" in Medford on Monday, March 9th from 7 - 8:30 pm, at Medford Public Library, 205 South Central Ave, in Medford. The event is free of charge, and the public is enthusiastically invited to attend!
The event will give local residents the information they need to make informed decisions in sometimes puzzling circumstances. For instance, should you or your children go outside to run or play soccer when the Air Quality Index shows it is "unhealthy for sensitive populations"? As a parent, a citizen, a patient or a health care professional, "A Breathable Future" will provide the information you need to make decisions like this. There are also plenty of resources to take home or look up online afterward.
On 3/2/09 Oregon PSR's Maye Thompson was interviewed on the Brain Labor Report. The interview starts about half way through the audio file, listen here>
http://www.kskq.org/brainlabor/?p=467
FUN AND EDUCATIONAL EVENT ON MARCH 9TH! SHARE THE NEWS!
Contact Maye Thompson by return email for more nformation.
Oregon PSR will present its new program, "A Breathable Future: Health
Effects of Air Pollution" in Medford on Monday, March 9th from 7 - 8:30 pm,
at Medford Public Library, 205 South Central Ave, in Medford. The event is
free of charge, and the public is enthusiastically invited to attend!
The event will give local residents the information they need to make informed decisions in sometimes puzzling circumstances. For instance, should you or your children go outside to run or play soccer when the Air Quality Index shows it is "unhealthy for sensitive populations"? As a parent, a citizen, a patient or a health care professional, "A Breathable Future" will provide the information you need to make decisions like this. There are also plenty of resources to take home or look up online afterward.
PSR is addressing air pollution because of its concerns about the health effects. Recent science from the University of Southern California (The Children's Health Study, 2006, retrieved from http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/chs/chs.htm)
shows that:
. Air Pollution Harms Children's Lungs for Life - Children exposed to higher levels of particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, acid vapor and elemental carbon had significantly lower lung function at age 18, an age when the lungs are nearly mature and lung function deficits are unlikely to be reversed.
. Children exposed to air pollution had significantly reduced lung growth and development when exposed to higher levels of acid vapor, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter.
. Children living in communities with high levels of ozone who actively participated in several sports were more likely to develop asthma than children in these communities not participating in sports.
. Children living in communities with higher concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter and acid vapor had lungs that both developed and grew more slowly and were less able to move air through them. This decreased lung development may have permanent adverse effects in adulthood.
. Children who moved away from study communities had increased lung development if the new communities had lower particulate matter levels, and had decreased lung development if the new communities had higher particulate matter levels.
. Days with higher ozone levels resulted in significantly higher school absences due to respiratory illness.
. Children with asthma who were exposed to higher concentrations of particulate matter were much more likely to develop bronchitis.
. Freeway traffic density found to be associated with asthma, low birth weight, pre-term birth, and birth defects.
At the state level, current Oregon regulatory initiatives include an air toxics reduction plan; greenhouse gas reporting rules; particulate reduction strategies; visibility in wilderness areas and parks; and improving point source programs.
PSR is a medical and public health organization working nationally to prevent the use or spread of nuclear weapons and to slow, stop, and reverse global warming and toxic degradation of human health and the environment.
Maye Thompson, RN, PhD
Environmental Health Program Director
Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility
812 SW Washington St., Ste 1050
Portland OR 97205
503-274-2720
F:503-222-5348 http://www.oregonpsr.org
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Air Pollution 05.04.2009 - 20:53 When the air pollution in Medford reaches levels that create human health concerns, it's pretty much an indication that air pollution levels up and down the West Coast are reaching a tipping point level. see also: Types of Pollution pte>  Homepage:: http://
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