Promote Environmental Justice in Air Quality Programs

from "American Lung Association of California Sets Public Policy Priorities", Public Policy Update, Breathe Easy news magazine, Spring/Summer 2001

The American Lung Association of California is concerned about communities that are disproportionately impacted by air pollution and toxic air contaminants. These communities are located near freeways and heavy industry, and tend to be low-income with large numbers of people of color. People who live in these communities suffer from higher rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses.

Despite the fact that environmental justice is a growing concern in California, there is a lack of cumulative data to document the heavy toll air pollution is taking on these communities. The American Lung Association of California has joined the California Air Resources Board’s Neighborhood Assessment Program Advisory Committee, which is developing new strategies for measuring the impact of air pollution on targeted communities and investigating ways to reduce the amount of pollution generated by industrial and other sources in these communities.

The American Lung Association of California will continue to work with other groups to bring environmental justice issues to the forefront at the State Capitol.