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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Joe Mullery (DFL)

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New Report: Northside Children bear heaviest toll from pollution

Monday, July 13, 2015
At a press conference this morning in Webber Park, the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency released a new report thoroughly analyzing the effects of pollution on various parts of the metro area.  This study measured the effects of tiny particulate matter and ozone in the air on lung and heart disease, two of the five leading causes of death in Minnesota.
 
After the press conference, I pointed out to reporters that the research revealed some important facts which were not in the formal report and some which were not apparent in the report. Most important, the rate of hospitalizations for children with asthma in the 55411 zip code on the Northside was 6 times that of the statewide average. Also, the air pollution figures need to be looked at in comparison to the susceptibility of the people living in the area. For instance, several places in the report it is said that ozone is not as much of a problem in the inner city. However, when I dug into the actual report figures, it showed that the highest hospitalization rate for asthma caused by ozone was  for the Northside and a small area of central southside.
 
This is an important part of my continuing fight for environmental justice, and I asked the reporters to look into this issue.  People have the right to be free of pollution. If they are more susceptible to pollution because of the circumstances that come with their low income or the color of their skin, then we, as a state, have a duty to see that they are not more adversely affected by pollution than people who have high incomes and can afford the advantages in life that make them less susceptible.
 
The study showed that for the year 2008, air pollution was a substantial contributing factor in over 2000 deaths, 400 hospitalizations and 600 emergency room visits. That's roughly 12 % of deaths and 5% of hospitalizations and emergency room visits. It also showed that the greatest health burden of air pollution fell on low income people, people of color, and the elderly. 
 
Tiny particulate matter and ground-level ozone are the two air pollutants with the most harmful effect on health. Another interesting aspect of the study was its determination that smokestack industries are no longer the over-riding cause of air pollution. Cars, trucks, construction equipment,etc. are also major contributors. At the end, the two commissioners pointed out what I've been preaching. Namely, that one or two agencies are not going to solve the problem. It takes all the agencies (housing, transportation, education, etc), local governments, private industry and all of us to work together to solve this. 
 
The report and more information on air pollution is available at BeAirAwareMN.com. It has detailed data by zipcode showing air pollution in that area and the rates of deaths, hospitalizations and emergency room visits.