As the start of summer nears and millions of children head outdoors to play, today the Sierra Club captured the attention of CNN’s readers with a headlining opinion piece about the dangers smog presents to our respiratory health.
The editorial, penned by Sierra Club's director of conservation Sarah Hodgdon and Physicians for Social Responsibility's director of environment and health, Barbara Gottlieb, provides valuable public education on the causes of smog and how it harms our most vulnerable populations.
Coal-fired power plants and traffic pollution are two major causes of smog, a dangerous air pollutant that attacks our respiratory system—triggering asthma attacks, aggravating bronchitis and emphysema, and causing permanent health damage to children, seniors, and people with chronic respiratory and heart disease.
Clearly, we need stronger EPA protections to protect us and our children from smog and reduce the dangers to both our environment and respiratory health.