I appreciated the Sept. 8 front-page coverage of nuclear waste and chemical illness in California.
This letter, though, concerns another pressing environmental issue. In November, the United States Environmental Protection Agency and President Clinton will decide whether to strengthen federal air-quality standards for ozone and particulate matter.
Children whose breathing is restricted have difficulty learning. A recent study (reported in the Tribune) of more than 5,000 7th through 9th graders in Chicago revealed that 1 in 5 has asthma. Debilitation due to lack of adequate fresh air adversely influences the learning capacity of our youngsters and is a continuous source of trauma to people with respiratory disorders. Alarming statistics on deaths due to particulates only hint at the living death of people whose lungs are damaged.
I urge readers to do all we can to ensure that healthful standards are set so that Americans can breathe freely, perform well in school and in occupations and also reduce suffering and medical costs.
As an educator and writer, I am concerned with effective reading comprehension, critical thinking, writing and creative problem-solving.
I am a non-smoker and not exposed to secondary smoke. In summer 1994, a bout with bronchitis left me with a diagnosis of asthma. I feel the life energy required for creative work drain out of me when pariculates or ozone are in the “good” or low “moderate” zone of the current Pollution Standards Index. I wear a face mask to reduce exposure when the PSI exceeds 50 for ozone or 30 for particulates.
From my own experience with a daily record of the air quality in Chicago plus research in medical literature, I have learned that a standard for ozone at 1 hour of .08 ppm (parts per million) instead of .12 ppm can make a significant difference in quality of life.
When the air quality is bad, we are all disadvantaged.
