Facts and figures on air quality and Latino health in the U.S. 1

• 92 -- percentage of the U.S. Latino population living in urban areas in 2000^{2, 3}
• 80 -- percentage of Latinos living in counties that violated at least one federal air-pollution standard in 2002²
• 57 -- percentage of non-Latino whites living in counties that violate at least one federal air-pollution standard in 2002²
• 50 -- percentage of Latinos living in areas that violate the federal air-pollution standard for ozone, one of the major triggers for asthma attacks⁴
• 2.5 : 1 -- ratio of asthma incidence in Latino children to incidence in non-Latino white children⁴
• 39 -- percentage of Latinos living within 30 miles of a power plant in 2000⁴
• 78 million -- pounds of developmental and neurological toxins released into the air or water in the U.S. by power plants in 1999⁴
• 41 -- percentage of U.S. mercury emissions that came from power plants in 1999⁴
• 44 -- number of states that have fish-consumption advisories warning about eating mercury-contaminated fish⁵
• 50 -- percentage by which the Bush administration's plan would likely cut mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants by 2020⁵
• 90 -- percentage by which mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants could be cut before the end of the decade if utilities were required to install top-notch technology⁵
• 11 -- number of years that have passed since President Clinton issued an executive order requiring all federal agencies to include the achievement of environmental justice in their missions⁴
• 0 -- criteria the EPA have developed for defining which populations should be served by the executive order⁴
• 52 -- percentage of Latinos under the age of 65 without health insurance in 2003⁴
• 30 -- percentage of Latino children living in poverty⁴

Sources:
1. Annual Estimates of the Population by Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Origin for the United States: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2004 [PDF], U.S. Census Bureau.
2. Lung Disease Data at a Glance: Air Quality, American Lung Association.
3. The Hispanic Population in the United States, U.S. Census Bureau, March 2000.
4. "Air of Injustice: How Air Pollution Affects the Health of Hispanics and Latinos" [PDF], July 2004, League of United Latin American Citizens.
5. EPA Weakens Mercury Reduction Requirements for Power Plants, 15 Mar 2005, Natural Resources Defense Council.

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