Does the Ohio Valley Make Us Sick?
There have been many reports that living in the Ohio Valley, specifically here in Jefferson County Kentucky, can increase health problems associated with asthma and allergies. Doctors and nurses talk about it, travel logs and blogs discuss it and it is even discussed on some health websites. Are there any studies that show that this is true? What are the facts? Does living in Louisville KY increase problems associated with allergies, asthma, and other respiratory problems?
After some research, it seems that the answer is yes. There is some scientific data that clearly shows that the air quality in Louisville KY is worse than some other cities its size. This is caused by man made pollution and natural components. The problems are especially bad in spring. Most allergy sufferers would say that was obvious, but actual scientific data says so as well. Spring pollen counts here in the Ohio Valley are as bad as just about anywhere in the US. This is caused by what grows here, and how the geography of the valley is.
There is also some very misleading data out there about how the air quality is. The AAFA (Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America) produces lists of Allergy Capitals and rankings of cities. While Louisville ranks high for spring allergies it ranks low for fall allergies. It also ranked as number 5 on the list of Asthma Capitals in 2004. There were only 4 worse cities out of the 100 major metropolitan areas surveyed in 2004. However, Louisville was ranked 61 in 2007. The problem with these lists is that they do not reflect just patient condition or ailments caused. The lists are ranked using several criteria including Medicine usage per patient and board certified allergists per patient available in the city. While these rankings may be looking at the full social and economic situation for all allergy and asthma sufferers, it clearly does not reflect the simple question of environment.
The American Lung Associations website is located at
http://lungaction.org/
There we can find some scientific data that clearly states that ozone and particle pollution, including pollen, is bad here in Louisville. Louisville consistently ranks in the top 25 of “Metropolitan Areas Most Polluted by Year-Round Particle Pollution (Annual PM2.5)”. Not surprisingly, places like Wyoming and Hawaii rank as the cleanest places.
There is data that shows that the air in Louisville Kentucky can make you sick, and that it is more likely to make you sick than some other areas. The data does show that there are some other areas that are worse, and that Louisville Kentucky is improving, at least as far as man made pollution is concerned.
Source sites:
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) -
Asthmacapitals.com
American Lung Association -
Lungaction.org
Ohio Environmental Council -
theoec.org
The Environmental Protection Agency
Epa.gov
(Report Written by Walter Underwood on 03/11/2008, do not reprint without permission)
After some research, it seems that the answer is yes. There is some scientific data that clearly shows that the air quality in Louisville KY is worse than some other cities its size. This is caused by man made pollution and natural components. The problems are especially bad in spring. Most allergy sufferers would say that was obvious, but actual scientific data says so as well. Spring pollen counts here in the Ohio Valley are as bad as just about anywhere in the US. This is caused by what grows here, and how the geography of the valley is.
There is also some very misleading data out there about how the air quality is. The AAFA (Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America) produces lists of Allergy Capitals and rankings of cities. While Louisville ranks high for spring allergies it ranks low for fall allergies. It also ranked as number 5 on the list of Asthma Capitals in 2004. There were only 4 worse cities out of the 100 major metropolitan areas surveyed in 2004. However, Louisville was ranked 61 in 2007. The problem with these lists is that they do not reflect just patient condition or ailments caused. The lists are ranked using several criteria including Medicine usage per patient and board certified allergists per patient available in the city. While these rankings may be looking at the full social and economic situation for all allergy and asthma sufferers, it clearly does not reflect the simple question of environment.
The American Lung Associations website is located at
http://lungaction.org/
There we can find some scientific data that clearly states that ozone and particle pollution, including pollen, is bad here in Louisville. Louisville consistently ranks in the top 25 of “Metropolitan Areas Most Polluted by Year-Round Particle Pollution (Annual PM2.5)”. Not surprisingly, places like Wyoming and Hawaii rank as the cleanest places.
There is data that shows that the air in Louisville Kentucky can make you sick, and that it is more likely to make you sick than some other areas. The data does show that there are some other areas that are worse, and that Louisville Kentucky is improving, at least as far as man made pollution is concerned.
Source sites:
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) -
Asthmacapitals.com
American Lung Association -
Lungaction.org
Ohio Environmental Council -
theoec.org
The Environmental Protection Agency
Epa.gov
(Report Written by Walter Underwood on 03/11/2008, do not reprint without permission)
posted by WalterJr | 2:32 PM
|
1 Comments
