After 40 years of anti-pollution efforts, thousands of New Jersey residents with asthma and other respiratory conditions are still exposed to pollutants that aggravate their illnesses, according to a new report.
A hazy day in New Jersey (Sources: www.hazecam.net and Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management via N.J. Department of Environmental Protection)
“Others are hospitalized or die from respiratory disease and heart attacks attributable to these pollutants,” the report says.
The New Jersey Clean Air Council this summer released its 2010 public hearing report: “Vision for the Next Decade: Air Quality and Pollution Control in New Jersey.”
The report has 48 recommendations on such issues as mobile and stationary sources of pollution, air toxics and environmental justice.
Mobile sources include cars, trucks and buses, while stationary sources include factories and power plants, the report notes.
“Air pollution is a serious environmental health problem that affects every resident,” the report says.
“While we have made tremendous strides in lowering air pollution primarily from stationary sources, New Jersey continues to exceed the health-based standards for fine particulate matter and ozone,” the report says.
Concentrations of ground-level ozone exceeded a federal health standard on 34 days this year through Sept. 7 compared with nine days last year, according to Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Ozone, the main ingredient in smog, damages lung tissue, reduces lung function and makes the lungs sensitive to other irritants, according to the DEP.
“Emerging scientific evidence suggests that air pollution may cause adverse pregnancy outcomes, including effects on fetal growth and development,” the report says. “These public health impacts place air quality at, or near, the top of New Jersey's environmental health risks.”
In the next decade, New Jersey “will face changing air quality challenges as development and traffic congestion continue to increase,” according to the report.
“Sound planning for development, transportation and energy production is key for effective air pollution control,” the report says.
The state also must combat greenhouse gas emissions and integrate that effort with health-based air quality programs that address ozone, tiny particles in the air and air toxics, according to the report.
