Where we live can have a tremendous impact on our health.
About 40 percent of the urban population across the country lives in close proximity to a major roadway, such as Route 3. As a volunteer with the American Lung Association, I’ve known that this near-constant exposure to passing vehicle emissions threatens human health, especially in children, older adults and people with diabetes, lung and heart disease.
This traffic pollution burden will get lighter soon thanks to new air quality safeguards the federal Environmental Protection Agency just adopted that will clean up gasoline and reduce tailpipe emissions.
Cleaner gasoline alone cuts traffic pollution as much as if we took 33 million cars off the road, preventing 19,000 asthma attacks and sparing as many as 2,000 lives every year. By helping hard-working families stay healthy, these new safeguards also will help prevent as many as 300,000 missed days from work and school.
The president and EPA deserve our praise for taking this necessary action to safeguard public health that will benefit generations to come.
Diane HaskellPalermo
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