PRESS CALL TUESDAY: Children in Southern California Breathe Easier with Smog’s Decline

Childhood respiratory symptoms are major public and clinical health problems that create a societal ripple effect.  #CleanAir

HOW: Call-in spots are limited. To reserve a “seat” for the phone conference, RSVP to Zen Vuong at zvuong@usc.edu or (213) 300-1381

Call-in numbers:

• USA Toll-Free: 866-528-2256
• USA Caller Paid: 216-706-7052
• Participant Code: 3116307

* * * On-camera interviews available upon request * * *

WHAT: A press call Tuesday, April 12 at 9 a.m. PDT to discuss how reduced air pollution in Southern California over the past 20 years is linked to children’s respiratory health. The USC study will be published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Researchers say their findings are applicable to other parts of the United States and maybe other parts of the world as well. An executive from an air pollution control agency, environmental justice advocate and pediatrician will participate in the call.

Questions that will be answered:

• What health trends are linked to living in communities with increasingly polluted air?
• What factors caused pollution levels in Southern California to go down?
• By how much have air pollutants decreased in the past two decades?
• How much did the respiratory health of children improve?
• How will a pediatrician and environmental justice advocate react to the study’s findings?

For more information on a previous study that also used data from the landmark USC Children’s Health Study, visit “LA environmental success story: cleaner air, healthier kids.”

WHEN: Phone conference Tuesday, April 12 at 9 a.m. PDT

WHO: Panelists include:

• Kiros Berhane, lead author of the JAMA study and a professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC
• Frank Gilliland, senior author and a professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC
• Ed Avol, co-author and a professor of clinical preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC
• Philip Fine, deputy executive officer in planning, rule development and area sources at the South Coast Air Quality Management District
• Elisa Nicholas, a pediatrician and CEO of The Children’s Clinic, which specializes in providing health care to low-income families in nine Long Beach locations
• Penny Newman, executive director of Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice, a nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing pollution and toxic waste in Riverside and San Bernardino counties