60% Odds Your Life is in Danger
Due to Dirty Toxic Air You're Breathing
by www.SixWise.com

The drive to go green and buy earth-friendly products has fully mainstreamed into the American environment over the past few years. One New York Times article reported that 35 million Americans purchase some kind of earth-friendly product on a regular basis.

But despite all these efforts to live a healthier and cleaner life along with making strides to save the environment, findings from the 2009 State of the Air report show that many cities are even dirtier than ever and received an “F” on their national air quality report card, which ranks several types of air pollution including ozone, annual particle pollution, and 24-hour particle pollution levels

Now, six out of 10 Americans are surrounded by air pollution that’s toxic enough to endanger their lives, the report found. This amounts to over186 million people at risk!

“This should be a wake-up call. We know that air pollution is a major threat to human health. When 60 percent of Americans are left breathing air dirty enough to send people to the emergency room, to shape how kids’ lungs develop, and to kill, air pollution remains a serious problem,” Stephen J. Nolan, an American Lung Association National Board Chair, told Science Daily.

Key Discoveries from the Air Report:

• Nearly 60 percent of people living in the United States are exposed to unhealthy ozone levels!

• Biggest contributors to air pollution are dirty power plants, dirty diesel engines and ocean-going vessels

• Fargo, N.D. was the only city to rank among the cleanest in all three air pollution categories—ozone, year-round particle pollution and short-term particle pollution

• 40.5 million people in the United States live in counties that failed all three of the outdoor air tests

The Health Risks of Ozone

Out of the 25 cities on the most ozone-polluted list, 16 cities experienced increased problems with unhealthy ozone levels compared to last year’s report.

Ozone is the most widespread form of air pollution at ground level and is generated by the combination of sunlight with hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide, two compounds emitted from cars, trucks, factories and power-generating plants. Once the ozone is inhaled and enters your lungs it can irritate your respiratory system, resulting in wheezing and coughing, and can even trigger asthma attacks. In more serious cases, it can:

• Inflame and damage the cells lining your lungs

• Aggravate chronic lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

• Cause permanent lung damage in children and adults through repeated short-term exposure

Who is Most at Risk from Unhealthy Ozone Levels?

Children and active adults are both in a higher risk bracket for health problems caused by unhealthy ozone levels because they naturally spend more time doing activities outdoors during the summer months, the time the ozone is at its peak. Other people more susceptible to the dangers of ozone include people living near heavy traffic or close to industrial sections and people with asthma or other kinds of respiratory problems.

Four Precautions to Take When Ozone Levels are High

• Try to limit the amount of time spent outside, particularly engaging in vigorous activities during peak ozone level hours, and instead do activities indoors

• If you’re going outside, go out during early morning hours or after sunset, the times of day the ozone levels are lower

• Stay away from high-traffic areas, and avoid exercising near these areas at all times

• Avoid using gasoline-powered lawn equipment or other gasoline-powered tools

The Deadliest Form of Air Pollution: Particle Pollution

Particle pollution consists of a mix of different sized liquid particles such as microscopic soot, diesel exhaust, chemicals, metals and aerosols that cannot be seen by the human eye and are widespread in the air we breathe.

Examples of sources of this pollution include diesel particles from trucks or buses or sulfates from coal-fired power plants. While many of these particles are sneezed out of your body as a form of natural defense, those small ones the size of 10 microns end up getting trapped in your lungs. Once in your lungs, they travel to your bloodstream and can make breathing very difficult.

Particle pollution is classified as the deadliest and most dangerous of outdoor air pollutants in America. It increases your risk of serious health conditions and spikes the number of visits to the emergency room for asthma attacks and cardiovascular disease. Certain studies have shown a direct link between particle pollution and heart attacks and strokes.

“The science is rock-solid. We now know that air pollution can impair the lung function of even the healthiest people,” Norman H. Edelman, MD, American Lung Association Chief Medical Officer, told Science Daily. “Air pollution worsens asthma and is a direct cause of heart attacks, which makes people living with lung and heart disease especially vulnerable.”

High-Risk Groups

People in higher risk groups include women in their 50s, also diesel truck drivers and dockworkers that are exposed to on-the-job exhaust inhalation, placing them at an increased risk of developing respiratory diseases ranging from asthma to lung cancer or COPD. Additionally, people living close to factories and power plants face a greater risk from these types of pollutants.

Living close to congested roads seems to be one of the leading contributors to respiratory diseases as another study published in an online edition of the American Journal of Public Health revealed that living close to heavily trafficked roads is a big contributor to childhood asthma. The study centered on the heavy traffic corridors in the cities of Long Beach and Riverside, California.

The findings showed that 9 percent of childhood asthma in Long Beach and 6 percent of the cases in Riverside were linked to heavy traffic proximity.

"The impact of roadway proximity on the overall burden of asthma-related illness is remarkable. Air pollution is a more important contributor to the burden of childhood asthma than is generally recognized, especially to more severe episodes requiring visits to a clinic or emergency room…

This is a challenge to communities, to regulatory agencies and to public health. Traffic-related health effects should have a central role on the transportation planning agenda,” Rob McConnell, M.D., professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and deputy director of the Children's Environmental Health Center at USC, told Science Daily.

Your 7-Step Action Plan to Reducing Outdoor Air Pollution

You can take an active role in reducing the problems of air pollution by making the commitment to some lifestyle changes that will make immediate improvements in air quality. By working together we can create solutions that help the environment and decrease exposure to dangerous air pollutants -- and the health problems associated with them.

1. Use public transportation instead of your car—You can help cut back on air pollutants by leaving your car at home and instead using different modes of transportation such as walking, biking, trains, buses or the subway.

2. If you have to drive, do it wisely--Try to avoid excessive idling and jackrabbit starts and during the summer months refuel your car either early in the morning or late in the evening to reduce the amount of evaporative emissions that are emitted from the gas tank during the hot hours of the day. Also, you can purify the air in your car during your commute with a personal air purifier. The Car Ionizer uses negative ions to eliminate pollutants and allergens from the air in your car. There are no filters to be changed and it can be recharged over and over by plugging it into your car adapter.

Breathe Freely During Your Commute The Car Ionizer removes pollutants from your vehicle so you have fresh air to breathe. There are no filters to be changed and it works in any car with a cigarette lighter. You can even take this portable air filter with you into your office! Order Your Personal Car Ionizer Now!

3. Avoid burning wood or trash--Burning firewood and trash are common sources of particle air pollution. If you have a wood-burning fireplace, use it sparingly or replace it with an electric or gas fireplace to reduce polluting emissions. The harmful particles wood-burning fireplaces emit into your home pose a great danger to the health of you and your family. Also, instead of burning your waste materials, dispose of them properly through composting or recycling methods.

4. Purify your indoor air. The PIONAIR Air Treatment System, which Sixwise.com highly recommends, uses photocatalysis, which is designed to oxidize organic odors, germs, and fungi. The PIONAIR technology creates ultraviolet light rays, safe levels of ozone, and passive negative ions as part of your air treatment. This is not just any old air filter -- it is an air purifier that duplicates Nature's own methods of air cleaning and revitalization.

5. Cut back on electricity use—Turning off lights when you’re not using them and buying energy-efficient products will not only reduce your electric bill by conserving your energy needs but will also reduce generating electricity, one of the largest sources of pollution.

6. Purify Your Air, Fast, With PIONAIR With the PIONAIR Air Treatment System you can remove smoke, dust pet dander, mold, bacteria, pollen and more from your home and office air so you can breathe freely. All PIONAIR Systems include a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee! And for a LIMITED TIME ONLY, Get $30 Off Each PIONAIR Air Treatment Unit, Plus FREE SHIPPING and a FREE MiniMate Refrigerator Unit! Learn More About PIONAIR and ORDER NOW!

   Get involved with local and state efforts to clean up air pollution--Participate in your community’s review of its air pollution plans and support state and local efforts to clean up air pollution. Be proactive by supporting any imposed restrictions of outdoor burning.

7. Detox your body of heavy metals caused by air pollutants--If you suspect heavy metals have already accumulated in your body from pollution, or industrial or vehicle emissions, you should disarm this potential “time-bomb” now before it potentially causes serious illness or death. At Sixwise we highly recommend that you use HMD™ (Heavy Metal Detox) from DrHMD.com, a natural oral formula that helps to effectively eliminate heavy metals from your body, without any side effects.

Remove Environmental Heavy Metals From Your Body Safely and Naturally With HMD

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Even if you’re not currently suffering symptoms of heavy metal poisoning, it is still highly recommended that you and your children use HMD™ as a preventative, as nearly everyone living on this planet is affected by heavy metals in some way or another.

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By making these simple lifestyle changes you can both make a difference in the quality of your air and reduce your exposure to air pollution.

Recommended Reading

Is Your Home Toxic? Five Common Health Dangers in Homes ... and What to Do About Them

Air Pollution Puts 2 Million Americans at Risk of Cancer, EPA Says

New Study Shows Toxic PAH Air Pollution Leads to Genetic Changes and Asthma -- Starting in the Womb

Sources

American Lung Association State of the Air 2009 Report

Science Daily November 5, 2009

Science Daily April 30, 2009

YourLungHealth.org

American Lung Association

Environmental Protection Agency

The New York Times July 1, 2007