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All Documents in Health Tagged air pollution

Get the Lead Out
Guide

Children across the nation face the risk of lead poisoning, but steps can be taken to protect them.

Boosting the Benefits
Improving Air Quality and Health by Reducing Global Warming Pollution in California
Issue Paper

California has the opportunity to combat global warming while simultaneously improving air quality and public health throughout the state. Measures being considered under the California Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32) could save hundreds of lives and prevent thousands of other negative health impacts each year -- saving billions of dollars in healthcare costs. NRDC analysis shows that strategies for reducing global warming pollution -- cleaner cars and trucks, energy efficiency, renewable energy and smart growth -- also reduce air pollution and bring tremendous short- and long-term health "co-benefits."

Driving on Fumes
Issue Paper

Diesel pollution is well known to be hazardous to human health. Groups at particular risk include workers in diesel industries, such as trucking and rail, and communities located near major sources of diesel pollution, such as ports and freeways. This December 2007 issue paper summarizes the alarming findings of one of the first investigations to measure drivers' exposure levels to diesel soot inside trucks serving our nation's ports.

Sneezing and Wheezing
How Global Warming Could Increase Ragweed Allergies, Air Pollution and Asthma
Issue Paper

Global warming isn't just making our planet hotter. Scientific studies have also shown that our changing climate could mean more ozone pollution in some areas and intensify the health problems stemming from allergenic pollen such as ragweed. This is bad news for allergy sufferers and asthmatics because both ragweed and ozone have been linked to respiratory problems such as asthma and to allergic symptoms in adults and children -- and studies show that people exposed to both ragweed and ozone are likely to become sicker than people exposed to just one of these pollutants. New NRDC research -- the first to map areas within the United States where ragweed and unhealthy ozone pollution overlap -- shows that 110 million Americans live in areas with both ragweed and ozone problems.

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Documents Tagged air pollution in All Sections

Coal is Dirty and Dangerous
Efficiency and renewables are better options for repowering America with clean energy
Overview

Coal is America’s No. 1 global warming polluter, despite the industry hype. Clean energy alternatives are better choices for our health, welfare and the U.S. economy.

Benchmarking Air Emissions of the 100 Largest Electric Power Producers in the U.S. - 2006
Report

The Benchmarking project uses public data to compare the emissions performance of the 100 largest power producers in the United States. The sortable databases provided here contain emissions data for four power plant pollutants: sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury and carbon dioxide. The information presented here was compiled and analyzed in collaboration by NRDC; Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG), a New Jersey-based electric utility; Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), a California-based energy utility; and CERES, a national coalition of environmental and investor groups.

Coal Is Hazardous to Your Health
Coal-fired power plants threaten the environment and your health.
Index

Burning coal releases enormous amounts of harmful pollutants into the air and water, with serious health consequences. Waste generated by coal-fired power plants contains hazardous pollutants that can contaminate our drinking water and cause cancer, birth defects and reproductive problems. This index of fact sheets describes the health hazards of our continued reliance on coal.

Lost and Found: Missing Mercury from Chemical Plants Pollutes Air and Water
Issue Paper

Mercury is an invisible, odorless poison that can pollute oceans and rivers, contaminate our food and seep into the air, potentially causing severe health problems when ingested by humans. A major source of this pollution is chlor-alkali chemical manufacturing plants. Not only do these plants release harmful mercury into the environment, but they also cannot account for tons of mercury "lost" each year -- mercury which likely ends up in the air we breathe. This April 2006 NRDC issue paper reveals new sampling evidence that mercury emissions near the nation’s oldest and most polluting plants sometimes exceed government safe levels for chronic exposure, raising concerns for the health of residents who live near facilities in Ohio, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Louisiana.

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For additional policy documents, see the NRDC Document Bank.