Disease Prevalence in Brooklyn

     This bar graph depicts the number of cases hospitalized for each illness in Brooklyn. The number of cases with asthma in adults is particularly alarming. This causes us to question the policy directives of previous New York City administrations. Is the increasing rate of pollution causing an increasing rate of asthma? The Bloomberg administration has taken certain initiatives to create a city with cleaner air. The smoking ban and the emphasis on mass transit over private automobiles may be a good start. In addition his programs include making factories more environmentally safe for the surrounding residents, and increasing NYC membership in environmentally friendly groups, such as "Cities for Climate Protection". (For more information visit nyc.gov/bloombergcampaign) Is enough really being done to reduce the carcinogen level? According to the results of this and other environmental studies, it might be a worthwhile initiative for New York to follow California's lead in placing legal limits on automobile emmissions. This initiative is still in infancy, but its prospective results could significantly reduce the pollution in California. (For more information and updates visit the OfficialCaliforniaWebsite) Only a major initiative such as this could have a significant effect on lowering the number of asthma cases and possibly cancer cases for future generations.

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