Hot days dangerous to public health

Last week, the Hearst Connecticut papers ran a story about the expected increase in hotter days for Connecticut and the Northeast. These extremely hot days of 90 100 degrees and more, are not just uncomfortable — they are dangerous.

As your article stated, hotter temperatures make groundlevel ozone pollution more likely to form. What you left out is that ozone can cause health issues including asthma attacks, respiratory illness and even early death, and children, seniors and people with lung diseases like asthma are at greater risk. Even for the healthiest among us, when a person breathes ozone pollution, the lining of their lungs can become irritated and inflamed, much like a sunburn on the skin.

I am a trained respiratory therapist, and have seen how these bad air days and heat waves combine to create frightening conditions, not only for my patients, but for my friends, family and neighbors. Climate change has become a serious public health concern — and we are seeing it come to life in heat waves like the one this weekend. The idea of having worse heat waves, more frequently is a truly concerning one for any person with a lung ailment, as well as for their loved ones and caretakers.

I strongly encourage everyone to remain vigilant this summer, and check the Air Quality Index at www.airnow.gov on days with high levels of air pollution. I also urge our representatives in Congress to support policies that limit air pollution and combat climate change to protect our health.

Connie Dills West Hartford

The writer heads the public policy committee of the American Lung Association in Connecticut.