Last Friday the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the University of Southern California just completed a study showing that children who lived near highways or busy roads had "significant impairments in the development of their lungs that can lead to respiratory problems for the rest of their lives." The full study will be published in the February 17th edition of the journal Lancet. It struck home, as all three of my kids have lung issues. And we live fairly close to a major highway...
Then the New England Journal of Medicine just published today an article linking post-menapausal women's long-term exposure to air pollution with cardiovascular "events" (including heart attacks, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases).
Since we all can't pick up and move to the "country," what can we do to protect ourselves and, especially, our kids? I'm thinking that a good home air filter is an option and would provide cleaner air for at least the time we're all at home (sleeping is a big part of everyone's day...). We looked into a hepa filter for our furnace, but opted against it because it needed to be changed every month and we don't have easy access to the furnace. We did use a room hepa filter for a while (to great relief) when I was suffering from a dust mite allergy, but the constant noise annoyed me too much. For now we're flying solo, but I'm reconsidering my options!
Other ideas? Vote with the environment and for stricter controls on auto emissions. Drive less. Or, my favorite, live in a bubble -- there's a great business opportunity for someone.
