For Gaddy, who is African-American, the report’s findings confirm what she and her neighbors in Newark’s predominantly black South Ward have been experiencing for years. Gadi and her three children were all diagnosed with asthma.she My eldest son died of a heart attack 2021, 32 years old.
“It’s just the cumulative effects of pollution that are hurting us,” Gaddy says. “And unfortunately, that’s what’s happening in our city.”
According to the report, there are 1.8 million adults and 370,000 children with asthma in the New York/Newark metropolitan area.
The researchers have the following expectations. A series of new vehicle emissions standards The plan, announced by the Biden administration last month, could significantly reduce some types of particle pollution.
Under the new proposed standards, 56 percent of all new cars sold by 2032 should be electric. The proposal also calls for an increase in plug-in hybrid vehicles and other partially electric vehicles, as well as more efficient gas-powered vehicles.
“We’ve seen the Environmental Protection Agency finalize many new standards to clean up air pollution and combat climate change, and many more are on the way,” Bender said. said.
“We have seen particulate matter standards become even more stringent. We have seen strong measures to reduce emissions from future cars and future trucks. has taken steps to reduce methane and volatile organic compounds from the oil and gas industry,” she said. “And we are calling on the administration to get us across the finish line on more items on our to-do list.”
Bender said the association expects the EPA to update the national ozone standard, which has not been revised since 2015.
“Sometimes people don’t understand that poor air quality can have pretty serious effects.” Amit “Bobby” Mahajan, national spokesperson for the Lung Association. “We know that asthma attacks, heart attacks, and strokes occur, but we also see an increase in premature births, cognitive impairment, and lung cancer in people with higher exposure to ozone and particulate pollution.
“So it’s not just important to provide clean air, but providing clean air minimizes your exposure to these serious diseases and reduces your risk of developing potentially fatal underlying conditions. is honestly alleviated.” said Mahajan, who is also director of interventional pulmonology at Inova Health System in Northern Virginia.
Gaddy said she is confident federal officials will soon act to alleviate the city’s asthma crisis based on the recommendations of researchers and other experts.
“We know that eventually our community will heal and recover to the level it should be,” Gaddy added. “Our community does not continue to be a victim zone like this just because of our zip code or the color of our skin.”
