Clean Air
We all need clean air to be healthy and well. A major threat to health worldwide, poor air quality causes 1 out of every 9 deaths. Although air quality in the United States has improved significantly over the last several decades, it remains an important quality of life concern, particularly for low income and communities of color. Children and people with chronic respiratory disease are particularly vulnerable to negative health impacts of poor air quality.
In any given community there may be multiple causes of poor outdoor air quality, including natural factors like topography and weather, and human sources of air pollution like vehicle emissions, burning of firewood and industrial pollution. On the local level, air quality may differ significantly between neighborhoods - with poorer air quality in many lower income neighborhoods which are more likely to be close to major roadways and industrial polluters. Indoor air quality is also a major issue, often arising from poor ventilation, smoking and other factors.
Reducing air pollution benefits human health and ecological health. Changes to transportation systems, economic systems and industrial practices can improve air quality at scale. At local levels, communities can expand tree canopies and green space, create smoke-free and exhaust-free areas, and establish community benefit agreements and local air quality monitoring programs to improve air quality.
Resources & Tools
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Bright Spot: Local Government Smoke-free or Tobacco-free Regulations
Resource - Model Policy
Brought to you by 100MHL
Climate and Health Intervention Assessment: Evidence on Public Health Interventions to Prevent the Negative Health Effects of Climate Change
Resource - Report
Brought to you by CDC Climate and Health Program
Our Built and Natural Environments: A Technical Review of the Interactions Among Land Use, Transportation, and Environmental Quality, Second Edition
Resource - Report
Brought to you by EPA
Creating Healthy Communities–The Intersection of Planning and Public Health
Resource - Journal Article
Territory-Wide Study on Hospital Admissions for Asthma Exacerbations in the COVID-19 Pandemic
Resource - Journal Article
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The Role of Business in Supporting a Thriving Natural World
Resource - Policy Brief
Brought to you by WIN Network
Published on 02/25/2021
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Bright Spot: Promoting Smoke-Free Policies in Multi Unit Housing
Resource - Model Policy
Brought to you by 100MHL
Foothills West Transportation Access Project
Resource - Assessment
Brought to you by Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Division of Public Health
Published on 01/10/2015
Exposure to Air Pollution and COVID-19 Mortality in the United States: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study
Resource - Journal Article
With Environmental Rollbacks, Communities of Color Continue to Bear Disproportionate Pollution Burden
Story - Written
Brought to you by State Energy & Environmental Impact Center
Hi-5: Health Impact in 5 Years
Story
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Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Published on 10/26/2017
Parks for All People: Addressing Legacies of Racism, Displacement, and Exclusion in National Parks
Story
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Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Data & Metrics
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