Researchers, Community Groups Release Plan to Curb Air Pollution in Detroit
Businesses, residents, political leaders all needed to improve community health, new report finds.
A group of community organizations and researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health released a “public health action plan” Tuesday, outlining strategies to reduce air pollution in Detroit and improve residents’ health.
The report from the Community Action to Promote Healthy Environments includes recommendations for individuals, businesses, and state and local governments.
Amy Schulz, professor of health behavior and health education, says the plan is the culmination of four years of research.
“This community has known for a long time that the air quality is not good, that people have effects from it,” says Schulz. “What we’ve been able to do as part of the science-based public health action plan is actually put numbers on that.”
Air pollutants cause roughly 690 deaths in Detroit and cost individuals and businesses nearly $7 billion, according to the report.
“Air pollution is a major contributor to heart attacks and other cardiovascular events,” Schulz says. “There’s growing evidence that air pollution … is associated with low-birth-weight infants and pre-term deliveries, which are substantial issues within the Detroit area.”
Schulz says the group will work to educate residents about the effects of air quality on health and what they can do to be part of the solution.
Read the full report below.
