American Lung Association report: Nationwide switch to zero emission vehicles would improve lung health
The report says a switch to zero emission vehicles and clean electricity production would save lives, reduce health care costs, and prevent asthma attacks and worker sick days.
By: Tim Studebaker
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – The American Lung Association has released a new report called “Zeroing in on Healthy Air.” The report says a nationwide switch to zero emission vehicles, combined with a switch to clean, renewable electricity production, would benefit Americans’ lung health.
Dan Fitzgerald is the Director of Advocacy for the American Lung Association in Rhode Island. Fitzgerald says, “The report is designed to illustrate the potential health and climate benefits if all new passenger vehicles sold are zero emissions by 2035, and if all new heavy duty vehicles, things like buses and other mass transit sold, are zero emission by 2040.”
According to the report, in Rhode Island alone, the reduction in air pollution would save $3.8 billion in health care costs and save 348 lives. It would also prevent more than 6,000 asthma attacks and more than 35,000 lost work days.
Fitzgerald says, “Communities living along the Port of Providence, or those of us living along the 95 corridor, have significantly higher rates of asthma. We know here at the Lung Association that every Rhode Islander deserves to breathe clean air regardless of the zip code that we live in.”
It’s not just Rhode Island. A large portion of southern New England ranks high on the list of areas that stand to benefit from improved lung health.
Fitzgerald says, “If we look at the Boston-Worcester-Providence metro area, we’re actually listed as one of the top 25 metro areas that would see the biggest impact with this transition. We came in at number 11 on that list.”
To learn more about the report and what it means for you, follow this link: https://www.lung.org/clean-air/electric-vehicle-report
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