Stories
We all have a reason to fight for clean air. Check out some personal stories below that highlight the need for healthy, safe air, and click here to share your own.
I think being able to breathe in clean air whenever we are outside is important for us to stay healthy. All sorts of medical problems can arise if we don't get enough clean air and oxygen. Plus, the world around us looks prettier when the air quality is better. Read more at FightingForAir.org
— Stephanie, CA
I was in my early 40's, hale & hearty, playing tennis and jogging 3-5 days each week while living in the Northeast. Shortly after moving to Los Angeles near the water in the Long Beach port area, I began experiencing episodes of shortness of breath while exercising outside. Read more at FightingForAir.org
— Lynn, CA
I have COPD (emphysema), so it is important to me to know what the air quality is going to be for any given day. On the days when the air quality is poor, I stay inside, but on the nicer days, I can go out. Read more at FightingForAir.org
— Mike, CA
I just moved to downtown Ventura County. Everyone says it’s the best location, as I am a couple blocks from the beach, Surfer’s Point, the pier, fair grounds and Main Street, which is where all the clubs and restaurants are located, as well as the coffee shops, movie theatre, ice cream shops, etc. The problem is that there are only three streets that allow a person to go from one end of the valley to the other, and it’s a bottleneck. The heart of the problem is on Main Street and the streets that lead to the beach. Read more at FightingForAir.org
— Shawn, CA
I am a lung cancer survivor who had surgery and treatment one year ago. On behalf of all the cancer survivors who reside in Los Angeles County, I am hoping that our air will become much more healthful. Survival is difficult enough without environmental dangers. Read more at FightingForAir.org
— Judy, CA
I recently moved to Los Angeles and wanted to say the following: I do not need an air quality report to tell me that the air here is really, really, really bad. I felt it right away. I went for a walk here shortly after arriving and felt my eyes sting, and I can feel it when I breathe and of course, one can even see it. Read more at FightingForAir.org
— Robert, CA
I live in Tolland, Connecticut and got asthma three years ago from mold in my workplace. Most of Connecticut has now and has in the past received a failing grade for its air quality. Read more at FightingForAir.org
— Cindy, CT
On the last day of my employment before I retired five years ago, I developed pneumonia. After week in the hospital, I was discharged and sent to see a pulmonary specialist and an allergist who diagnosed me with asthma. Read more at FightingForAir.org
— Martha, CT
Every summer I have a body breakdown from air pollution. My eyes get very swollen; I have horrible fatigue; and I feel sick most of the time. I have finally decided I will have to leave the area in the summers because of this. Read more at FightingForAir.org
— Madalyn, DC
Since I have moved to Florida, I have found out that I am very sensitive to air pollution from factories and cars. I was at a festival celebrating the earth that was directly across from a factory where you could see the pollution pouring out of its smokestack. After a few hours of being in that area, I was having trouble breathing; my nose was running, and I eventually started wheezing. It made me light-headed, and I felt like I was suffocating. Read more at FightingForAir.org
— Erica, FL
FACT: Roughly one in six (16.2%—nearly 50 million) Americans live in counties with too many unhealthy spikes in particle pollution levels.
