Louisville Magazine

JUL 2017

Louisville Magazine is Louisville's city magazine, covering Louisville people, lifestyles, politics, sports, restaurants, entertainment and homes. Includes a monthly calendar of events.

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hotyogalouisville.com bourbonwomen.org 40 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 7.17 THE BIT 899-9966 • hotyogalouisville.com T h a n k Y o u L o u i s v i l l e In 2016, the American Lung Association's State of the Air report named Louisville the 10th most polluted city in the U.S. for year- round particle levels — the byproduct of, say, coal-fired power plants, wood-burning devices and, especially in Louisville, high volumes of vehicle traffic. (Yay, bridges!) During a recent presentation at Jefferson Community and Technical College, professor Doug Brugge explained that the invisible, odorless pollutants he studies at Tufts University in Boston are about one- thousandth the width of a human hair and appear to be linked to major health problems. His research, for example, found a correlation between cardiovascular-related disease/ mortality and living/working in areas near highways or major roadways that are concentrated with what scientists call "ultrafine particles," or UFPs. What can be done? For houses near highways, Brugge mentioned improving filtration in ventilation systems. He also suggested legislative measures to limit the construction of parks, housing, schools or other buildings near roadways. He said national air-quality standards focus on larger "fine" particles, which have been the subject of extensive research by scientists and are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. Not so for UFPs. "There is nothing for ultrafine particles," Brugge said. "Ultrafine particles are unregulated. They are largely a new frontier." — BM DIRTY BIT

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