While the new pollution standards impacts everyone, it seems that once again Latinos seem disproportionally affected?

Do you live in one of these high impact zones?

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Via SF Chronicle

Washington –

Latinos would have a higher risk of disease and death without tougher standards that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has developed for ozone and toxic emissions, environmental and Latino groups said Tuesday.

Latinos would also be affected more than other groups because they’re more likely to live in polluted areas, according to a report prepared by the groups.

Asthma, bronchitis, organ damage and death rates would increase among the 39 percent of Latinos who live within 30 miles of a power plant and the one in two Latinos who live in the nation’s top 25 cities for ozone, the report said.

The EPA should move forward with the standards because they will help protect Latinos’ health, the groups said.

“Protecting our children and communities from smog and air toxics must be taken seriously,” the report said. “With the health of so many at risk, we can no longer ignore the science. The EPA must strengthen the smog standard and set mercury and air toxics standards to the levels recommended by the agency’s science advisers.”

The report was co-authored by the National Latino Coalition on Climate Change, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Center for American Progress and the National Wildlife Federation.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/09/20/MN9K1L77J2.DTL#ixzz1YndeTyrT