http://cptv.vo.llnwd.net/o2/ypmwebcontent/Betsy/Where%20We%20Live%2001-14-2013.mp3
The air we breathe is usually not something we can see. Today, in Beijing, that is not the case. Activist Zhou Rong of Greenpeace tells NPR, "In the last three days, the air pollution is beyond index. It's the worst since we have readings starting from last year." But just because this blanket of smog highlight’s China’s less-than-stellar air quality, that doesn’t mean we’ve got the problem solved here at home.
In 2012, Connecticut’s air surpassed the EPA’s mandated ozone restrictions on 27 days – that makes Connecticut’s air quality the worst in New England. According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Connecticut has higher rates of asthma than the rest of the country, especially among women, children, minorities, and urban dwellers.
Today – Where We Live – we’ll talk with experts from hospitals, universities, and the government, who’ll tell us what’s in our air, how it might be making us sick, and what we’re doing to lessen the impact.
This show was co-produced by Ali Pinkerton.