Letter: Smog level is unacceptable

Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2004 | 9:06 a.m.

Last month the U.S. Public Interest Research Group released a report that found Las Vegas is among the top 20 major cities for smog pollution. This should be a wake-up call that we need to do something about our air pollution problem.

We have lived with smog pollution for so long that it is easy to forget just how bad this pollutant is for our public health. Smog will burn a person's lungs much like the sun will burn the skin, causing respiratory problems such as decreased lung function. Smog will also cause asthma attacks; the 33,000 children with asthma who live in Las Vegas are at particular risk.

Despite this alarming news about the quality of our air, we are doing little to eliminate smog pollution from a major source: coal-fired power plants. The Bush administration is proposing new rules to regulate pollution from these plants that would allow them to emit 150 percent more pollution than the Clean Air Act allows. The administration should reverse course and propose air pollution rules that adequately protect public health and comply with the law.

BRAD JOHNSON TIMOTHY J. BUNGUM

Editor's note: Brad Johnson, based in Phoenix, is the Western States Field Associate for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. Timothy J. Bungum, an associate professor at UNLV, is president of the Nevada Public Health Association.