Air Pollution and Children's Health

Why study air pollution and children's health?

Why study air quality in Berks County, Pennsylvania? 

1. Air pollution and children's health (e.g., asthma, respiratory symptoms and even cardiovascular disease) have been increasingly linked in recent federal health studies.

2. Children’s asthma incidence in Berks County is second highest in state of Pennsylvania - 14.69% (2003/2004 average) compared to state-average of about 10%.

3. Berks County is currently classified as nonattainment with both the federal ozone and PM2.5 ambient air quality standards. Berks County is projected to violate the new, more stringent, federal ambient air PM2.5 24-hour standard as well as the existing annual PM2.5 standard.

4. Berks County is projected to be one of only two counties in the northeast U.S. in the year 2015 that is still classified as PM2.5 nonattainment.

5. U.S. EPA has identified Berks County as having very high air toxics concentrations and health risks associated with air toxics in the EPA National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) studies.

6. Berks County has a growing population (estimated to be 400,000 by 2010) and has relatively high low-income, minority and child populations located in urban areas in close proximity to large industrial sources and/or to elevated traffic locations.

7. Berks County’s industrial and electric utility legacy and presence of more Superfund sites and landfills than most counties presents research challenges and opportunities for assessing causes of air pollution and other environmental impacts on children and for identifying mitigating measures to reduce children's’ exposure to pollutants.