Our health is at risk.
It will continue to be at risk until we find ways to cut pollution. PennFuture believes everyone deserves to breathe clean and healthy air. Through the Breathe Easy, Stay Healthy campaign, we will:
We must do more to help residents of Southwestern Pennsylvania breathe easier and stay healthier by reducing harmful air pollution. The Breathe Easy, Stay Healthy campaign will help ensure that our children will grow up healthy, our seniors will stay healthy and everyone can breathe easier.
Bad air days
It's been a long time since the infamous Pittsburgh pollution blackened buildings and clothing. During the 20th Century, we made vast air quality improvements.
But Allegheny County's air is quite possibly more dangerous now, since we usually can't see the risks in the form of black smoke and darkened skies, and the very fine soot we breathe steals into our lungs and hearts. In 2009, the American Lung Association rated air in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area worst in the nation for day-to-day levels of fine soot pollution for the second year in a row.1 Many areas of the region also suffered through 11 “Air Quality Action Days” – days when the air was so dangerous that it causes health problems for everyone, and can be deadly for those with chronic breathing illnesses.2
Moving forward
In January 2010, the Allegheny County Environmental Air Quality Task Force – with members from environmental groups, business, government and academia – presented its report, which was endorsed by County Executive Dan Onorato. The report recommends steps to improve regional air quality, increase services to stakeholders, and boost operating efficiencies. Heather Sage, vice president of PennFuture, served as the co-chair of the enforcement and monitoring subcommittee for the Task Force.
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