2. The State of the Air Report: “Why Did You Give Us an ?”
Janice E. Nolen, MS
Director, National Policy
May 6, 2002

3. Rotten tomatoes, ready---
Why do we do it?
Why does the American Lung Association grade communities on air quality?

4. State of the Air Report Released May 1 Ozone only
Uses Air Quality Index Scale
Grades only counties with monitors
Ranks metro areas & counties

5. What State of the Air is not
Not judging effort
Not judging state/local agency’s work
Not trying to “fail as many as possible”
Not trying to shift blame

6. What State of the Air Does
Puts air levels into everyday language
Gives public local information
Focuses attention on air pollution
Simple language takes
A and F are easier to understand than parts per million
Comparisons help increase understanding of the problems
Knoxville v. NYC
All news –all politics– are local.
This year the report made network and cable news broadcasts, local news in over 300 cities, and scores of newspaper articles.

7. Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday’s paper page one.

8. What State of the Air Does
Raises problem of air pollution
to Media
to Mayors, City Councils & Departments
to Governors, Legislatures & State Department heads
to EPA, Congress, & President
Photo of Boise, ID state capitol

9. Why Do We Publish State of the Air?
To strengthen support for controls
To make a case for funding enforcement
To clean up the air
We publish State of the Air ultimately, for the same reason you do your work regulating and enforcing air emissions—to clean up the air we all breathe.

10. Why do State of the Air? Millions of reasons
Adults with Asthma million
Children with Asthma million
17.2 million Seniors
30.7 million Children under 14
People with Chronic Lung Diseases
These numbers are just for those living in counties with F ratings.
Chronic Bronchitis – 4.7 million
Emphysema – 1.5 million
Sources—Census Bureau 1999 data
National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey, 1999
CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2000

11. Why? When You Can’t Breathe, Nothing Else Matters©
And too many people have trouble doing just that.

12. Download report with state files
E- advocacy—

13. Director of National Policy American Lung Association
To contact me:
Janice E. Nolen,
Director of National Policy
American Lung Association
1726 M Street, NW Suite 902
Washington, DC 20036