As the new home of NCPIRG's environmental work,
Environment North Carolina can be contacted with any questions regarding this
news release.
RALEIGH—North Carolinians have suffered through 16 code red and code orange
days so far this summer, according to new Division of Air Quality data.
Public health advocates, state legislators, and environmental groups
released the region by region data today showing how often residents
have to breathe unhealthy air.
The
groups urged the NC General Assembly to pass "Clean Smokestacks"
legislation that would reduce code red and orange days by over 50%.
Virginia
McLean, area nurse and volunteer with the American Lung Association,
whose two children have asthma, said that the number of high ozone days
have made a difference in her summer.
"The
quality of North Carolina's air affects my family on a daily basis—is
it going to be a good or bad day? Will someone need a nebulizer or not?
Air quality alerts dictate how we live," said McLean.
As
of July 12, North Carolina has already experienced 104 exceedances of
the safe standard for ozone. Data from the NC Division of Air Quality
also revealed:
• The Mooresville area has had the most unhealthy air days this summer, with 13 total high ozone days.
• The Washington area has recorded three days of unsafe levels of ozone.
• By metropolitan region, number of high ozone days are as follows:
Western North Carolina, 1; Cherokee, 2; Asheville, 4;
Mecklenburg/Charlotte, 5; Winston-Salem, 11; Forsyth County, 6;
Mooresville, 13; Raleigh, 6; Washington, 3; Wilmington, 0;
Fayetteville, 1.
Ozone
is formed when nitrogen oxides (NOx) mix with volatile organic
compounds and sunlight. Sustained high levels of ozone, most common in
the summer months, can cause shortness of breath, headaches, nausea,
and tightness in the chest even when inhaled by normal, healthy adults.
For children, the elderly, and asthmatics, unsafe ozone levels can mean
a visit to the emergency room. Abt Associates, an EPA consulting firm,
estimates that ozone triggers 240,000 asthma attacks in North Carolina
each summer.
"The
General Assembly has the chance this summer to reduce code orange and
red days by 50 percent, preventing thousands of asthma attacks across
the state," said Elizabeth Ouzts, advocate with NCPIRG (Public Interest
Research Group). "With so much at stake, clean air can't wait."
The
largest contributors to ozone formation are automobiles and coal-fired
power plants, which each contribute roughly 45% of the state's nitrogen
oxide emissions.
Other
types of air pollution also pose public health risks. Sulfur dioxides
contribute to particulate matter pollution, which can cause visits to
the emergency rooms for sensitive populations, and in the worst case,
premature death. An estimated 1800 premature deaths are triggered every
year in North Carolina because of soot pollution. Mercury emissions,
first emitted into the air, then settling in the beds of the state's
waterways, can cause neurological damage in newborns when ingested by
pregnant women. Officials have recorded the highest levels of mercury
exposure in the United States in Eastern North Carolina.
Coal-fired power plants emit 82% of the Southeast's sulfur-dioxide pollution and 65% of the state's mercury pollution.
"Coal
fired-power plants are the largest source of mercury emissions in North
Carolina, and have no mandate to reduce mercury emissions," said Dr.
Frank Shaw, a Fayetteville physician.
Representative
Martin Nesbitt and Senator Steve Metcalf have introduced legislation, S
1078, to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions from the state's coal-fired
power plants by over 70% in the next 12 years, sulfur dioxide pollution
by over 70%, and mercury pollution by 66%.
S
1078 passed overwhelmingly out of the Senate in April, and now sits in
the House Public Utilities Committee, chaired by Representative Ronnie
Smith.
"The
General Assembly must act to protect the health and long-term economic
prosperity of the citizens of North Carolina by passing the Clean
Smokestacks bill this session," said Dr. Shaw.
A
number of groups are working for clean air legislation this summer,
including American Lung Association of North Carolina, Appalachian
Voices, Canary Coalition, Clean Water Fund of NC, NC Coastal
Federation, Conservation Council of NC, NC Environmental Defense, NC
Public Interest Research Group (NCPIRG), NC Sierra Club, NC Solar
Energy Association, Southern Environmental Law Center, Southern
Appalachian Biodiversity Project, and Western NC Alliance.
