It's in the air: Many health problems pollution-related
By: Chris Smith
Contributing Writer
Issue date: 11/28/06 Section: The Game of Life
Imagine exposing 320 bus loads of children to unhealthy air for an entire summer. Put another way, nearly 27,000 children suffer from some form of respiratory problems due to poor air quality in Memphis, according to environmentaldefense.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to informing the public about environmental hazards.
The organization ranked Memphis 22nd out of 50 cities with the worst air quality in the country. The air quality ranking was derived from the number of code red, code purple and code orange air quality forecasts issued by environmental authorities from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The ranking takes into account both the ozone pollution and the particulate pollution in the area.
The major pollutants of air quality in the Shelby County area are acrolein and diesel emissions. These carcinogens are pumped into the air by the ton by mobile sources such as road vehicles, construction equipment, agricultural equipment and airplanes, as well as by local sources such as chemical plants, gas stations and dry cleaners.
According to Bill Smith, major source supervisor for the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department Office of Pollution Control, the majority of the air pollution in the area is due to commercial traffic that stems from Memphis being a major cross-country transportation hub. Some of the air quality issues also stem from contaminated air being blown in from Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana.
"Our monitors show high levels of pollution in the air coming from Marion (Ark.), but because the EPA lumps Marion with the Memphis metro area, it negatively affects our air quality ratings," Smith said. "It's not necessarily fair to say Memphis residents are responsible for their air quality not reaching attainment standards."
However, in his five years with the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department, improvements in air quality have been made, Smith said.
"There have been significant improvements, many of which the public never sees," Smith said.
The organization ranked Memphis 22nd out of 50 cities with the worst air quality in the country. The air quality ranking was derived from the number of code red, code purple and code orange air quality forecasts issued by environmental authorities from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The ranking takes into account both the ozone pollution and the particulate pollution in the area.
The major pollutants of air quality in the Shelby County area are acrolein and diesel emissions. These carcinogens are pumped into the air by the ton by mobile sources such as road vehicles, construction equipment, agricultural equipment and airplanes, as well as by local sources such as chemical plants, gas stations and dry cleaners.
According to Bill Smith, major source supervisor for the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department Office of Pollution Control, the majority of the air pollution in the area is due to commercial traffic that stems from Memphis being a major cross-country transportation hub. Some of the air quality issues also stem from contaminated air being blown in from Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana.
"Our monitors show high levels of pollution in the air coming from Marion (Ark.), but because the EPA lumps Marion with the Memphis metro area, it negatively affects our air quality ratings," Smith said. "It's not necessarily fair to say Memphis residents are responsible for their air quality not reaching attainment standards."
However, in his five years with the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department, improvements in air quality have been made, Smith said.
"There have been significant improvements, many of which the public never sees," Smith said.