August 12, 2004
Contact: Arthur Stamoulis
(215) 567-4004 ext. 222

NEW ANALYSIS: MORE THAN 7 OUT OF 10 LATINOS LIVE IN POLLUTED COMMUNITIES
Pollution Levels Are Impacting Public Health in Latino Communities in Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley

Philadelphia, PA - A new report released today by community leaders and public health advocates found that more than 7 out of 10 Hispanic Americans are breathing air that violates federal pollution standards. Hispanic Americans face a threat 16 percent greater than the overall population, according to the report Air of Injustice: How Power Plant Pollution Affects the Health of Hispanics and Latinos, published nationally by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) with the support of Clear the Air. The report was released locally by Philadelphia City Councilman Juan F. Ramos, Congreso de Latinos Unidos and Clean Air Council.

The report documents the impact of air pollution on Hispanic Americans, summarizing for the first time the statistics available regarding the health impacts of this pollution and taking a special look at air pollution from power plants, the largest industrial source of pollution. In Pennsylvania, counties with the highest concentrations of Hispanic Americans, including Lehigh, Berks and Philadelphia Counties, fail to meet the federal government's health-based air quality standards.

"This report puts numbers behind what many of us knew all along: Latino communities are being unfairly impacted by air pollution in this country. Polluters have gotten a free ride for far too long-and our families' health is suffering because of it," said Philadelphia City Councilman Juan Ramos.

"Respect for civil rights demands that the air quality in our communities be improved," said Nicholas Torres, Executive Director for Congreso de Latinos Unidos. "The Environmental Protection Agency needs to recognize the impact pollution is having on our communities and begin taking real steps to clean up our air."

The report includes among its findings:

• In 2002, 71 percent of Hispanics lived in counties that violated federal health standards for ozone or particulate pollution. This is compared to 55 percent of the overall population.
• The incidence of asthma in children of Latino mothers is two and a half times that of non-Latino white children.
• 52 percent of Latinos under the age of 65 do not have health insurance. Overall, Hispanics account for an alarming one-quarter of the nation's 74 million uninsured people.
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not adequately implemented a ten-year-old Executive Order requiring it to address environmental justice issues in minority and low-income populations.

"Increased exposure to air pollution makes Latino families more vulnerable to health problems, such as asthma attacks and low birth weight," said Arthur Stamoulis, Policy Analyst for Clean Air Council. "Everyone deserves the right to breathe clean, healthy air. It is outrageous that the federal government is not addressing this problem."

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