DR. FRANZISKA ROSSER
Allegheny County has a long history of air pollution that continues today, thanks to power plants, steel mills, and chemical manufacturing plants which emit high levels of pollutants.
In 2021, the American Lung Association’s State of the Air report ranked the Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton metropolitan area, which includes Allegheny county, as the 7th most polluted city in the U.S. for year-round particle pollution.
Allegheny county is also in the top 1% of U.S. counties for cancer risk from toxic air pollutants released from stationary sources, according to the EPA. The county struggles to meet federal health standards for pollutants, including fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ground-level ozone.
The result is some of the country’s highest rates of asthma, COPD, and cardiovascular disease, especially among low-income communities of color.
Efforts are underway to address air pollution in Allegheny County, including a Clean Air Plan launched in 2020. However, some community groups, environmental organizations, and health professionals argue the plan doesn’t go far enough. They’re calling for stronger regulations and enforcement to protect public health.
One of those health professionals is Dr. Franziska Rosser, a lung doctor who cares for children with asthma and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh. Recently, Dr. Rosser testified before the EPA urging the organization to adopt a more stringent standard for PM2.5 that’s based on recommendations from the American Thoracic Society (ATS).
“Research clearly shows that adopting stricter standards will better protect the health of our patients and communities,” she explains.
Specifically, the new standard will result in almost 11,000 fewer deaths per year and 3,000 fewer cases of lung cancer per year that are associated with PM2.5 levels.
The new standard would be an important structural intervention for clean air equity for Black communities — especially Black children who suffer from higher rates of asthma than white children. Black children are also twice as likely to be hospitalized with asthma and 4x as likely to die from asthma than their white counterparts.
“Real change that promotes clean air equity must take place structurally at the policy level,” notes Dr. Rosser. “That’s why it’s important for Allegheny county residents to consider casting their ballots for political candidates who support clean air for everyone equally,” she states.
To do that, Dr. Rosser recommends getting to know candidates’ positions and records on clean air equity by visiting their web sites, calling their campaign offices, and talking to them at community events.
While voting is an important way to change the structures that contribute to health disparities, there are also personal intervention tools that can help parents/caregivers protect children diagnosed with asthma.
One of the most effective is the free AirNow app. “You simply download the AirNow app to your smart phone and enter your ZIP Code,” Dr. Rosser explains. The app will display real-time outdoor air quality in a simple green-yellow-orange-red alert format.” (If you don’t own a smart phone, AirNow also has a website with the same information at airnow.gov)
The app is particularly helpful during air quality days in the yellow range. “In Allegheny County, we spend about half the year in the yellow zone,” says Dr. Rosser.
Even though yellow days are considered moderate, they may be challenging for some people in sensitive groups, such as elders, people with heart or lung issues — and children with asthma.
“There’s an association between the Air Quality Index and childhood asthma emergencies,” she adds. “That association is strongest in young children and Black children.”
With that in mind, Dr. Rosser recommends parents/caregivers use the AirNow app to identify action or alert days, which start at the orange level. On alert days, everyone with heart or lung problems should pay attention and make changes to their outdoor activity. But parents of children with asthma can also use AirNow to learn how their child reacts to outdoor air pollution, especially on yellow days.
“Pay attention to any reactions your child has on yellow zone days and even a day or two after,” she says. “Is your child coughing more, for example? Is there a burning feeling in their lungs? Does your child need to use more rescue treatments? Share that information with your child’s asthma healthcare provider, so that together, you can create an action plan that allows your child to remain active and healthy.”
Air quality, like other social justice issues, impacts Black people unfairly, especially Black children. “My patients are children who — through no fault of their own — have been burdened with a chronic respiratory disease,” says Dr. Rosser. “Children deserve to play safely outside — to be kids. Good air quality is a human right and should not be a privilege of your address.”
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