American Lung Association offers tips to reduce health
impacts of excessive heat this summer
WASHINGTON, May 15, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Communities across the U.S. regularly experience
extreme heat, floods and other disasters each year due to climate
change. To protect the health of people living in these
communities, the American Lung Association is offering
steps that individuals and community leaders can take this
spring to help reduce extreme heat this summer.
Two-thirds of the average U.S. city is made up of roads, parking
spaces, sidewalks and roofs. Since these surfaces are typically
dark and non-porous, they contribute to urban heat, flooding,
increased air pollution and poor health. There are practical
solutions that can help mitigate urban heat, improve air
quality and benefit health. These solutions include reflective
(cool) roofs and pavements, green roofs, trees, solar photovoltaics
(PV) and rain gardens. The use of these innovative technologies can
cool cities by 5°F and deliver large reductions in flooding.
"From the direct impact of the temperature and weather changes
to the special burdens these changes place on the most vulnerable
communities, climate change seriously threatens our
wellness—especially our lung health," said Harold Wimmer, President and CEO of the American
Lung Association. "Increased heat in cities, combined with
emissions from power plants, motor vehicles and other pollution
sources creates ozone pollution, also known as smog. Smog impacts
everyone, but is especially harmful to certain people like
children, seniors, pregnant individuals and people with lung
disease, low-income communities and communities of color."
Here are three steps that both individuals and community leaders
can take now to help reduce extreme heat this summer:
- Green Spaces and Planting Trees: Urban greening is
the practice of planting trees, shrubs, and native grasses
throughout the city, including parking lots, along streets, and in
vacant lots. Urban trees provide shade which reduces temperature at
the street level. Urban trees and greenscapes can reduce the
temperature by up to 7°F during the day and 22°F at night.
Greenscapes turn carbon dioxide into oxygen, remove pollutants from
the air, and reduce flood risk. Urban greenscapes also reduce water
pollution caused by runoff during heavy rains. Trees reduce the
flood risk because trees absorb water during heavy rains.
- Reflective Roofs: Solar photovoltaic cells, also
called Solar PV, convert sunlight into renewable energy, helping
cities reduce their reliance on fossil fuels. Solar reduces energy
demand from non-renewable power plants, reducing greenhouse gas
emissions, and improving air quality. Solar panels also provide
shade for buildings, sidewalks, and other public areas.
- Porous Pavement: Porous pavements allow rain to
absorb into the ground, reducing pollution, stormwater runoff and
flood risk. They can lower temperatures through evaporative cooling
and act as a water filter, being cleaned as it passes through
the soil into groundwater. Porous pavements decrease the likelihood
of stormwater overflowing into sewers and bodies of water. Types of
porous pavements include porous asphalt, concrete, permeable
pavers, and porous grid pavers with turf or gravel.
Other strategies to reduce urban heat include using public
transportation, carpooling and installing cooling centers in
extreme conditions.
The American Lung Association is an active member of the Smart
Surfaces Coalition and encourages both individuals and city leaders
take actions to reduce extreme heat and air pollution in
communities. Learn more and get involved at
Lung.org/smart-surfaces.
About the American Lung Association
The American Lung
Association is the leading organization working to save lives by
improving lung health and preventing lung disease through
education, advocacy and research. The work of the American Lung
Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat
lung cancer; to champion clean air for all; to improve the quality
of life for those with lung disease and their families; and to
create a tobacco-free future. For more information about the
American Lung Association, which has a 4-star rating from Charity
Navigator and is a Platinum-Level GuideStar Member, call
1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) or visit: Lung.org. To
support the work of the American Lung Association, find a local
event at Lung.org/events.
American Lung Association • 55 W. Wacker
Drive, Suite 1150 • Chicago, IL
60601
1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Ste. 1425 North • Washington, D.C. 20004
1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) Lung.org
CONTACT: Jill Dale
| American Lung Association
P: 312-940-7001 M: 720-438-8289E:
Jill.Dale@Lung.org
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SOURCE American Lung Association