“Carbon pollution threatens our health by driving climate change which will increase temperatures and smog that can damage lungs and worsens asthma attacks,” said Carol Browner

Former EPA Head: Carbon Pollution Threatens Public Health

Carbon pollution is a major factor in climate change and a primary contributor to rising rates of asthma and other respiratory illness, former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Carol Browner told an Arlington audience yesterday (Wednesday).

“Carbon pollution threatens our health by driving climate change which will increase temperatures and smog that can damage lungs and worsens asthma attacks,” said Carol Browner on the importance of considering what is at stake when discussing the proposed carbon pollution standard. “Americans support the Environmental Protection Agency’s role as the ‘cop on the beat’ protecting them from dangerous air pollution that threatens the health of our kids, seniors and families.”

...“The bottom line is that the EPA’s carbon pollution standard will help to clean up our air and allow us all to breathe easier. Without it, further increases in carbon pollution will trigger more immediate flares of asthma and chronic lung disease, while high exposures over time could lead to higher rates of respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease and even lung cancer,” said Dr. Chris Lillis, a Virginia physician and board member of Doctors for America, a nationwide public health advocacy organization. “Sadly, the most sensitive groups–such as pregnant women and young children–will pay the biggest price if Congress fails to protect clean air.”