St. Paul, Minn. – (July 16, 2015) – Scientists say air pollution contributes to 2,000 deaths, 400 hospitalizations, and 600 emergency room visits annually. That is according to a new report from the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The report estimates the impact of air pollution on public health in the Twin Cities metro area.
The agencies did a combined analysis looking at health outcomes and air pollution by ZIP code in the 7-county metro area. They found that average air pollution levels didn’t differ much across the metro, but groups most affected by the health impacts of air pollution were people of color, the elderly, children with uncontrolled asthma and people in poverty. More information on air quality and how people can protect their health is available here.
