OFFICIALS AIR PLEA FOR ASTHMA RELIEF.Byline: Kerry Cavanaugh Staff Writer Hoping to understand why an increasing number of children are suffering from asthma, air quality regulators gathered political leaders, health experts and scientists Friday for a one-day conference to develop ways to cut air pollution and asthma in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children, and public health officials have seen the prevalence increase by 160 percent in the past 20 years. Researchers are finding stronger links between asthma and air pollution, and recent Southern California studies have found higher rates of asthma among children who exercise more in smoggy air and among children who live near freeways. ``We're here to affirm the obvious fact that asthma has reached epidemic proportions in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. ,'' said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Antonio Ramon Villaraigosa (born Antonio (Tony) Ramon Villar, Jr. on January 23, 1953) is the mayor of Los Angeles, California. He is the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since Cristobal Aguilar in 1872. . ``We need to recognize the links between the environment, education and asthma. ``It is too simple for me to state the obvious - air pollution triggers asthma - but when a study of fourth-graders shows an 83 percent increase in respiratory-related absences when ozone levels are high, I can't state it enough.'' Leaders with the South Coast Air Quality Management District The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), formed in 1976, is the air pollution agency responsible mainly for regulating stationary sources of air pollution for most of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside County, and all of Orange county. , which organized the conference, said they hoped the event would generate policy solutions to lessen air pollution and reduce impact on children with asthma. That could mean using cleaner fuels in trucks and cars and better planning of goods movement through the Port of Los Angeles The Port of Los Angeles is located on San Pedro Bay in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, approximately 20 miles (30 km) south of downtown. Also called Los Angeles Harbor and WORLDPORT LA - which generates 25 percent of pollution in the region - explained William Burke William Burke (1792 - January 28, 1829) was an Irish-Scots serial killer who, along with William Hare committed a notorious series of murders in Edinburgh in the 19th century. Burke was born in Urney, County Tyrone. , chairman of the AQMD's governing board. Kerry Cavanaugh, (818) 713-3746 kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com |
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