Because sprawl means more driving, it also means more air pollution. More air pollution means more respiratory illness, especially for vulnerable populations such as children and the elderly.

Biking can improve health both because it's good exercise and because it cuts down on air pollution from cars.

Smog, which results from air pollution, is particularly harmful to human health. Exposure to smog has been implicated in a variety of respiratory illnesses, including asthma, bronchitis, heart disease, emphysema and pneumonia. Smog may also worsen sinusitis and hay fever, and may trigger or aggravate cancer and emphysema.

Air pollution and smog can also cause shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing and chest pain. For people who live in the most polluted cities and are most vulnerable (children and the elderly), high smog levels can be life-threatening.

Asthma, a chronic inflammation of lung tissues that makes breathing difficult, is one of the main health concerns associated with smog. According to the American Lung Association, more than 26.8 million Americans suffer from asthma, and 14 of them die every day, a rate three times greater than 20 years ago. In fact, the U.S. EPA found that between April and October 1997, approximately 450,000 people in 37 eastern states and the District of Columbia suffered substantial shortness of breath and 6 million asthma attacks were reported. For more information on asthma, visit the DC American Lung Association.

For more on sprawl and respiratory illness visit the Sierra Club

More Information:
Penalties for not meeting DC AQ requirements
Sprawl and Health
Air Quality page

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