According to EPA’s National Air Toxics Assessment, Oregon has the third largest population at risk of excess cancer due to air pollution behind only California & New York. Across Oregon, 117 schools fall in the worst 10% nationally for exposure to industrial pollution.

Over 300,000 adult Oregonians and 83,000 children have asthma, putting Oregon in the top five states with the highest percentage of adults (10%) with asthma. Today’s air quality standards do not reflect what science proved long ago to be safe for public health.

The Clean Air Act only provides limits for 6 pollutants in the air we breathe. Neither US EPA or Oregon DEQ provide enforceable limits for the ambient concentration of the 187 Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs). Studies have shown the concentration of some of these HAPs in the Portland Metro area is over 100 times health reference levels.