By Kate Agliata:
Summer is Here—Stay Indoors? Yikes, Birmingham Air Quality Ranks Among Worst in Country!
Stop what you’re doing for just a few seconds to inhale deeply—just humor me, if you will! Okay, you can exhale. If you are indoors, you are probably able to to take that deep breath and not worry about potential health issues resulting from poor air quality. However, if you’re outside, and breathing in the air circulating in and around the Birmingham area, that deep breath you just took is filled with lots of reason to worry.
According to the American Lung Association, the greater Birmingham-Hoover area is ranked as the 8th worst place in the country for air quality. In fact, when looking at the overall 2011 ozone and particle pollution, the American Lung Association graded both Jefferson and Shelby counties with big fat F’s. As residents of the greater Birmingham area, we are literally breathing some of the dirtiest and most dangerous air in the country.
Science has proven air pollution to have an incredibly damaging impact on our health—especially on the health of young children and elderly, and even more so in those who suffer from asthma or other breathing difficulties. It’s been established that air pollution has an extremely negative effect upon the ozone layer. In turn, the damage caused to the ozone layer contributes to poor air quality, and the vicious cycle ensues. Aside from ozone pollution, another major contributor to poor air quality is particle pollution. Particle pollution is a mixture of several components such as acids, metals, dusts and allergens that literally float through the air. Sadly, Birmingham’s poor air quality is a result of both kinds of air pollution. According to GASP, (Greater Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution) the vast majority of particle pollution comes from three, decades old, coal-fired power plants situated in the surrounding area.
It’s difficult enough to fathom a workable solution to the problem as a whole, let alone manage a tactile method of protecting you and your children while outdoors. So what else can you do? You can empower yourself with knowledge about this ongoing issue, stay in tune with the daily air quality forecast, and if you’re up for it, lend your family’s support to this important battle. GASP serves our community as a tremendous resource, offering the simple facts, methods that can help tackle this huge problem, and answers to the tough questions. Additionally, you’ll also find on their Web site, a daily air quality index. This simple widget supplies you with the knowledge you need in order to better plan your children’s daily outdoor activities. It works similarly to a pollen count/UV index, and can help you determine if the air quality is safe enough for a trip to the park, or if it’s a stay indoors kind of day.
To learn more about Birmingham’s air quality issue, and to view or download this widget, (free of charge) visit their site at gaspgroup.org.
About Kate:
Kate, a freelance writer and mother of two, most often finds creative inspiration in writing, but occasionally at the bottom of an empty wine glass. She has hijacked her family’s former lifestyle and is in the midst of creating a simpler and greener approach to life. To follow her family’s challenges and successes in this endeavor, visit her blog, at Kate’s Musings. She and her family have lived in Birmingham since 2009.
