Statement of John L. Kirkwood: American Lung Association Says HEI Report Reinforces Need for Action on Particle Standards

5/16/2003

From: Norm Childs of the American Lung Association, 202-785-3355; web: http://www.lungusa.org

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- Following is a statement of John L. Kirkwood, president and CEO, American Lung Association:

"Fine particle air pollution, or soot, kills tens of thousands of Americans each year and sickens millions more. Today we have the latest independent confirmation of that deadly consequence in a report released by the Health Effects Institute, a research institution funded jointly by government and industry. With this report, even the polluters must admit that the danger is real. Now we must urgently resume the task of getting this dangerous substance out of the air to protect the lives of our citizens.

"Serious questions have been answered. Investigators reanalyzed some two dozen scientific studies in light of an analytical software problem identified last year. The reanalyzed studies have undergone a rigorous peer review.

"The reassessment confirms the conclusions of the original studies: Increases in particulate air pollution can increase daily deaths and hospitalizations. For most of the studies, the reanalysis resulted in only minor changes to the original results.

"Furthermore, there was never a question that the long-term studies of the effect of air pollution on human health were valid. The software problem had no effect whatsoever on the landmark Harvard Six Cities and the American Cancer Society cohort studies, two long-term community health studies that linked long-term exposure to particulate air pollution to premature deaths. Risk estimates drawn from these studies calculate that the lives of tens of thousands of Americans are cut short each year due to fine particle air pollution.

"Now that the debate is over, we must move quickly to protect public health. These reanalyzed studies underscore the need for EPA and the California Air Resources Board to adopt more protective standards to protect the public from short- and long-term exposures to fine particles. The risk to the public is clear."

------ The American Lung Association has been fighting lung disease for nearly 100 years. With the generous support of the public and the help of volunteers, we have seen many advances against lung disease. However, our work is not finished. As we look forward to our second century, we will continue to strive to make breathing easier for everyone through programs of education, community service, advocacy, and research. The American Lung Association's activities are supported by donations to Christmas Seal and other voluntary contributions. You may obtain additional information via the American Lung Association Web site at http://www.lungusa.org.