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Following is a letter I wrote to my senator. If you are concerned and want to learn more about the air we breathe in the United States and globally, go to www.ucsusa.org , the Union of Concerned Scientists.
May 13, 2000
The Honorable Peter Fitzgerald, United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510
Dear Honorable Peter Fitzgerald:
In September 1994 I woke up wheezing at the age of 55. Since then I have made a study of what takes my breath. I am on the Data Committee of the Chicago Asthma Coalition of the American Lung Association. By personally experimenting with wearing a mask and removing it, and keeping a record of environmental factors, I have come to recognize what irritates my nasal passages, sinuses, throat and lungs.
Smog and soot take my breath. Acid haze burns my throat and acid rain irritates my scalp and eyes. I am not alone. Scientific studies indicate that summer smog sends an estimated 53,000 persons to hospital admissions, 159,000 to emergency rooms, and triggers 6,200,000 asthma attacks each summer in just the eastern half of the United States.
The electric industry is the largest industrial source of the pollutants that cause smog, soot, and acid rain–all of which are direct causes of my ill health. I have taken control and improved my health by wearing a mask appropriate to each irritant. This is a temporary, personal solution.
I urge you to support the Clean Energy Act of 1999 (S. 1369), introduced by Senator James Jeffords of Vermont or any amendment offered in Committee with the same provisions to protect public health and the environment.
I request that you send me a letter or e-mail regarding your intent and plan of action.
Thank you.
Sincerely....Adrien Janis Bledstein, address etc.