Bad air…what’s being done

The American Lung Association gave Sevier County the worse possible grade of air quality available. What does that mean to us who live here in terms of quality of life? In a previous article, it was revealed that there is a direct correlation between ozone and respiratory disease. If someone in your family does not have respiratory problems, it may seem like a remote issue. It is not. Air quality affects everyone in ways that are just being understood. The British Medical Journal published a report of research conducted by the Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine that clearly shows that air pollution, and particulate matter especially thickens the blood and boosts inflammation, which is associated with increased risk of heart attacks, stroke as well as respiratory problems. The American Thoracic Society published a report saying that obese children are more susceptible to the harmful affects of air pollution. They found that associations between air pollution and lung function were two to five times stronger for obese children than for normal-weight children. The more obese a child was, the stronger the effect was of the previous day’s air pollution on his or her lung function. Medical officials in Sevier County have voiced their concerns for the high level of heart attacks, obesity and respiratory problems. The air quality is affecting every citizen physically or emotionally by illness or death. Tisha Calabrese-Benton of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation told The Herald Newspapers that the Environmental Protection Agency is taking these issues very serious. They have the authority to place restrictions or even sanctions on any county that does not comply with federal regulations for air quality. Sevier County has a deadline of 2009 to meet the EPA standard. When the deadline arrives, if we have not met the standard, we can apply for two one-year extensions, if the EPA feels that we could actually attain the goal at the end of the period. Sevier County could currently face two restrictions: Emissions offset control for industry, which means that the total amount of emissions in the county could not exceed the current amount, thereby making new industry difficult for the area. Transportation conformity, which means that any federally funded road would be have to undergo a review to make sure that once built, it would not cause or worsen the air quality. Calabrese-Benton said that sanctions would not be probable for Sevier County because they would only apply to an area that was not even trying to meet the federal standards. Sanctions would mean that the federal government would withhold federal highway money and air pollution control funding grants. Thankfully, Sevier County Mayor, along with other East Tennessee are working to fight the problem, but they need us to be informed and involved.