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Donald Trump defeats Kamala Harris to become the next U.S. president; UA Little Rock wins grant to expand cybersecurity education; Post-election analysis: Rural voter nuance is deeply entrenched.

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Harris concedes, but promises to 'fight on' in a speech at Howard University. Republicans celebrate a potential red sweep, though a House majority is still uncertain. And a statehood mandate gains support on Puerto Rico.

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Abortion care can be five minutes away in California or 11 hours for women in Texas, rural living proves a mixed blessing for veterans, an ancient technique could curtail climate-change wildfires, and escape divisive politics on World Kindness Day.

Air Quality Improving But Problems Persist in PA

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Thursday, April 21, 2016   

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Air quality is improving overall but pollution still threatens the health of more than half of all Americans, according to the American Lung Association's annual "State of the Air" report. Cleaner power plants and cleaner cars get the credit for much of the improvements.

Kevin Stewart, director of environmental health for the American Lung Association of the Mid-Atlantic, said the areas around Pittsburgh and Harrisburg still make the top ten for concentrations of year-round particle pollution.

"Fine particles are associated with an increased risk of premature death and exacerbation of lung and heart disease," he said. "Populations at risk include children, elderly, people with diabetes, people who live in poverty."

The Lung Association is urging states to implement the EPA's Clean Power Plan to further reduce emissions and improve air quality.

According to Stewart, reducing carbon pollution also could help rein in global climate change, which has a significant impact on air pollution.

"When you do the modeling, you can see quite clearly that as the temperature rises, all other things being equal, we will have more difficulty attaining the air-quality standards as we go forward," he added.

Rising temperatures also contribute to drought and wildfires, which add more particulate matter to the air, and stagnant weather patterns that concentrate pollution in some areas.

Stewart says the Lung Association is calling on everyone to help protect the federal environmental laws from efforts to weaken regulations that have proved effective.

"We want to be sure the Clean Air Act does have the teeth in it that are needed and that have been demonstrated over the past nearly half a century to control air pollution," he said.

The full report is available online at www.stateoftheair.org


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