California Cities Clean Up Air, But Remain Among Nation\'s Most Polluted
California Cities Clean Up Air, But Are Still Among Nation’s Most Polluted
A new report by the American Lung Association concluded that California has had some progress in improving air quality, but the state is still the home to some of the most heavily polluted cities in the U.S.
California's clean air laws and initiatives are working," said Marsha Ramos, chair of the American Lung Association in California. "However, almost 80% of Californians –30 million residents – live in areas plagued with unhealthy air during certain parts of the year. That means residents exposed to pollution are at greater risk for lung cancer, asthma attacks, heart attacks, and premature deaths. We must increase our efforts to cut pollution so all Californians can breathe clean and healthy air."
California cities score in the top five in the U.S. in terms of levels of ozone, short-term particle pollution and annual particle pollution.
Los Angeles and the surrounding areas had the highest level of ozone, while Fresno had the highest levels of particle pollution in both the short-term and annual categories.
Nevertheless, the Lung Association noted that L.A. was able to reduce the number of its unhealthy ozone days by one-third over the past 15 years. It credited stringent state emission standards for lowering the levels. The Lung Association called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to also toughen up its emission rules.
UCSF Chuldren's Hospitals Will Lead Initiative To Reduce Premature Births
The UC San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospitals have announced they will spend $100 million to try and reduce the levels of preterm births globally.
The money will be provided by Bay Area entrepreneurs Lynne and Marc Benioff and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Benioff Children's hospitals will lead the 10-year initiative, focusing on the biological, behavioral and social factors that drive premature births.
About 15 million children are born prematurely each year, with 1 million dying within 28 days of birth due to complications related to their early birth.
“The time has come to address the issue of premature birth on a global scale,” said Sam Hawgood, M.D., interim chancellor of UCSF, and dean of the UCSF School of Medicine. “The vision of the Benioffs and the Gates Foundation creates a partnership that can have a dramatic and sustainable impact on this major cause of mortality and morbidity to babies worldwide. We are delighted that they have chosen UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals as the platform to execute this idea.”
Larry Rand, M.D., director of Perinatal Services at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco Fetal Treatment Center and the principal investigator of the initiative, will co-direct it with Jaime Sepulveda, M.D., executive director of UCSF Global Health Sciences.
“Premature birth is one area in global health where little progress has been made,” Sepulveda said. “We will work with local communities and global partners to translate science into solutions.”
