| Air pollution affects
everyone. You can't hide from it, even inside your own home. Just
consider these facts…Levels of air pollution inside the home can be
two to five times higher (and occasionally 100 times higher) than
outdoor levels (Source: EPA) Americans spend as
much as 90 percent of their time indoors. (Source: EPA)
Nearly 9 out of 10 Americans are not aware that levels of indoor
air pollution may be higher than outdoor levels (Source: American
Lung Association and 3M survey, 1999)
Air pollution contributes to lung disease, which claims close to
361,000 lives in America every year and is the third-leading cause
of death in the United States (Source: American Lung Association,
1998)
Approximately 141 million Americans are breathing unhealthy air.
Children and seniors are the age groups most at risk:
- 30 million are under the age of 14 *
- 17 million are over the age of 65 *
In 1998, approximately 26 million Americans have been diagnosed
with asthma in their lifetime. Of these, 10.6 million Americans (3.8
million children under the age of 18) had an asthmatic attack or
episode during that same year. **
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ranks poor indoor air
quality among the top five environmental risks to public health.
* Source: American Lung Association's State of the Air 2001
Report
** Source: American Lung Association |
