  Funkycarrie Member Username: Funkycarrie Post Number: 261 Registered: 02-2004 Posted From: 69.209.138.56 |
well, at least our air does http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs .dll/article?AID=/20060626/NEW S05/606260323/1118/RSS we get a giant F and placed last on a list of 100. We still have nothing on Beijing and most other Chinese cities though, so at least there's hope? | ||
Funkycarrie Member Username: Funkycarrie Post Number: 262 Registered: 02-2004 Posted From: 69.209.138.56 |
It's hard not to wonder whether Detroit has done something to offend editors of health magazines, inclined as they are to tell us first that we're fat, and now, that our air stinks. So bad, in fact, that Detroit gets an F in air quality, and is ranked dead last out of 100 cities in the United States in an analysis by Men's Health magazine released today in the July issue of the magazine. Yes, that's right, worse than Los Angeles (No. 76, with D-plus) where smog acts as a natural barrier between neighborhoods. And even worse than Newark, N.J. (No. 75, D-plus), home to an odor that makes you wonder whether your car, and all the cars behind you, are on fire. Grand Rapids also got an F, but at least made it to No. 92 -- take that, Sacramento (No. 96) and Pittsburgh (No. 98). On Sunday, metro Detroiters biking, running and walking along the city's riverfront on what looked to be an A-plus summer day were shocked to hear they were inhaling F-quality air, but said they had no plans to let the rating keep them from enjoying the precious little time Michiganders get outside. Rohit Amin, a 28-year-old medical resident at Wayne State University who had just finished running, said the real health threat is lack of exercise, underscoring the grim choice Detroiters face: fat and clear-lunged, or thin and slowly poisoned. Once again, Detroit is in reverse simpatico with Honolulu -- ranked No. 1 in air quality, and named the fittest city in 2004, the same year Detroit was ranked fattest. Honolulu: It's on. To compile the ranking, Men's Health analyzed each city's Air Quality Index, or AQI -- a daily measure of ozone levels, carbon monoxide and other chemicals -- traffic congestion, and asthma rates over time. "Detroit's AQI scores and asthma rates hurt it the most," wrote Matt Marion, an editor at Men's Health, in an e-mail to the Free Press. Detroit had the highest asthma rate of all the cities, Marion wrote. According to Men's Health experts, it can be dangerous to work out in such low air quality. "One expert told us that exercisers breathe in 10 to 15 times more pollution than an inactive person, due to the deeper and more rapid breaths they're taking," Marion wrote. "Over time, this can ... increase blood pressure, and raise a person's risk for heart attack." Men's Health suggests working out early in the day, or after the sun goes down, when air pollution levels are lowest. The magazine also recommends checking the city's daily AQI readings at www.airnow.gov before working out. Even the Canadians are on our backs about the bad air in metro Detroit, and in other northern border states. The Canadian Ministry of the Environment lifted their gas masks long enough to complain that more than 50% of Ontario's air pollution comes from our side of the border, and causes them 2,700 premature deaths, and $5.2 billion in health and environmental problems annually. Canadians are so angry, they've created not just one, but two committees on the issue and, apparently, a whole new catchphrase. Environmentalists from the United States and Canada are meeting today in Toronto to discuss what is called "transboundary air pollution." That would surprise most everyone inhaling deeply along Detroit's RiverWalk on Sunday afternoon. The sky was as blue as the river, the Detroit Princess was pushing through a bright chop and Karen Brown was resting from a 20-mile bike ride through the most polluted air in the country. "Are you kidding?" she said. "It looks clear and beautiful to me. As long as I can't see it, then I don't know it can hurt me." | ||
Missnmich Member Username: Missnmich Post Number: 520 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 24.32.180.75 |
Asthma is caused by many factors, not just air pollution. | ||
Wilus1mj Member Username: Wilus1mj Post Number: 82 Registered: 05-2005 Posted From: 216.111.89.3 |
And crime is spilling over.... Macomb candidate: Detroit a 'wasteland' A candidate for the Macomb County Board of Commissioners called Detroit a "wasteland" and blamed African Americans for making Macomb County a violent place. "We all know there is an increase in crime spilling over from Detroit," Don Lobsinger, a Republican candidate from St. Clair Shores, said during a public comment period during a commission meeting last week. Lobsinger was urging commissioners to eliminate a vacant ombudsman position that was created after some African-American pastors -- whom he calls "racial agitators" -- accused the county of racist hiring practices. For the past two years, Lobsinger has attended commission meetings to criticize black people. Free Press staff writers Ruby L. Bailey, Kathleen Gray, Chris Christoff, Dawson Bell and Steve Neavling contributed to this week's Politically Speaking. | ||
Gildas Member Username: Gildas Post Number: 759 Registered: 12-2004 Posted From: 147.240.236.9 |
No wonder were so fat, we can't breath. | ||
Funkycarrie Member Username: Funkycarrie Post Number: 263 Registered: 02-2004 Posted From: 69.209.138.56 |
My asthma is noticably worse in Detroit than it is anywhere else...besides China...I find that when we're travelling I use my maintenance inhalers a lot less. | ||
Danny Member Username: Danny Post Number: 4416 Registered: 02-2004 Posted From: 141.217.174.192 |
HAH! Folks down at SW Detroit are breathing that stuff that comes from the toilet every day. | ||
1953 Member Username: 1953 Post Number: 899 Registered: 12-2004 Posted From: 209.104.146.146 |
I wonder if they take their pollution readings near the incinerator or in Delray. | ||
Psip Member Username: Psip Post Number: 1095 Registered: 04-2005 Posted From: 68.60.45.70 |
Is that the same wacko Don Lobsinger from the '60s? Head of "Breakthrough" | ||
Futurecity Member Username: Futurecity Post Number: 298 Registered: 05-2005 Posted From: 70.227.206.164 |
Blame the car companies and their apologists. We're fat as hell and getting fatter because we have to drive for every conceivable task. We live in communites built for ease of driving not for walking. All of this driving and its industrial support system has not only paved the way for us to be the fattest, but also gives us the honor of "most polluted air". Thank a car-head today. | ||
Funkycarrie Member Username: Funkycarrie Post Number: 264 Registered: 02-2004 Posted From: 69.209.138.56 |
yeah it would be interesting to come across a graph on where exactly the pollution is coming from...how much is from factories, and how much is from emissions, etc. I just don't have time to dig right now... | ||
Wazootyman Member Username: Wazootyman Post Number: 67 Registered: 02-2006 Posted From: 68.75.220.9 |
This doesn't make any sense. Click on the link in the article to see the air quality. Most of California is consistantly worse (particularily in Ozone) than anybody else, and I really don't see Michigan falling outside of "Good" or "Moderate" at any point in the past-month history. Where are they basing this claim from? Am I missing something? http://www.airnow.gov/index.cf m?action=airnow.archives&Regio nID=4 Select Michigan, then Pollutant: Particles. I can't find any time during the last month in which it exceeded a "Moderate" ranking, which is below "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups". In addition, there are areas throughout the nation, California again in particular, that are registering the same level of pollutants as us. So, how does this make us the worst? Keep in mind that Chicago is right behind us - a city that is very walkable and has widespread public transportation. The car companies aren't the sole cause of the pollution and making us fat. | ||
Wazootyman Member Username: Wazootyman Post Number: 68 Registered: 02-2006 Posted From: 68.75.220.9 |
Also, on the subject of being fat - I spent an entire afternoon is Muskegon at a graduation party listening to family talk about their latest weight loss schemes that don't involve doing any actual work. Lose 10 pounds in a week just by taking magic pills! The car isn't the reason people are fat. The reason is because they're lazy and put too much food in their face. Try working out and eating less, I promise it will work for a majority of the population, I know it has for me. (I realize their are medical exceptions to this) | ||
Lmichigan Member Username: Lmichigan Post Number: 3916 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 24.11.154.56 |
Wazootyman, I was waiting for some to bring up that Men's Health's statistics are largely bogus. And, people will eat this up. It's not scientific, at all. | ||
Funkycarrie Member Username: Funkycarrie Post Number: 266 Registered: 02-2004 Posted From: 69.209.138.56 |
Wazoo...they explain why they came at their data. Its the same sort of data that was used to compile that we're the fatest city...it all depends on how you skew the numbers... | ||
Susanarosa Member Username: Susanarosa Post Number: 941 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 208.39.170.90 |
The other problem is that folks don't realize how much fat is hidden in food that is marketed or though of as bieng "diet" food. Subway (the 6 grams of fat menu) is healthy, Jimmy John's is not. Salad dressing is the most fattening thing you can eat. Chicken loses all healthy-ness when it's breaded. Veggies dipped in full fat dressing is useless. These are the things that folks need to be taught (I did too) but I've found that it's typically those that need it the most who don't listen. | ||
Funkycarrie Member Username: Funkycarrie Post Number: 268 Registered: 02-2004 Posted From: 69.209.138.56 |
Susana....Jimmy Johns is a hidden disaster. I once found out online that their sandwiches can have over 1000 calories in them!! AAAHHHH!!! It really boils down to being lazy, and the fact that there aren't a lot of quick options out in the neighborhoods for non-fastfood type foods. My boyfriend is out on the town everyday, and he's always complaining about his lack of choices when it comes to food. | ||
Gravitymachine Member Username: Gravitymachine Post Number: 1141 Registered: 05-2005 Posted From: 198.208.159.18 |
I'm a gear-head, but that does not mean I don't enjoy riding my bike as well | ||
Funkycarrie Member Username: Funkycarrie Post Number: 269 Registered: 02-2004 Posted From: 69.209.138.56 |
http://www.dietfacts.com/html/ items/7965.htm You'd think that the veggie sammie would be the healthier option! | ||
Rjk Member Username: Rjk Post Number: 376 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 68.41.145.5 |
It's a quite an eye opener when you see the nutrion charts for a lot of these fast food joints. I use to like to get a breakfast sandwich and a coffee from Mc D's once a while in the morning until I saw the calories and fat content online. I knew it wasn't health food, but I was amazed by the amount of calories/fat in such a small sandwich. | ||
Lmichigan Member Username: Lmichigan Post Number: 3919 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 24.11.154.56 |
Men's Health and the other fitness magazines that do these rankings do so at "infotainment" at best. They bring up good issues, but their criteria is largely bogus. It's about as unscientific as you can get, and irresponsibly so because they know it will sell magazines and people will eat it up as fact. For example, if we're talking air quality let's get some scientific comparisons to Detroit so show how bogus the data is: 1. For "High Ozone Days" Los Angeles County had 155 unhealthy days in 2004, 8 of which are of the highest ranking (i.e. Purple Days). In comparison, Wayne County has 22 unhealthy days, none of which are Purple, or even the second most unhealthy label "Red Days." 2. Now, let's get to another category that deterimines the Air Quality Index and that is "Particle Pollution." In 2004, Los Angeles had 145 unhealthy days, of which 27 were the second worst label "Red Days." In comparison, Wayne County had 43 unhealthy days, or which only 1 was a "Red Day." *data courtesy of American Lung Association* Come on, these "reports" are misleading. I could go on and on. If we're really going to talk air quality, let's at least get the facts straight. If you didn't know any better you'd assume Detroit had the worst air in the country, which just isn't the case. | ||
Susanarosa Member Username: Susanarosa Post Number: 943 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 208.39.170.90 |
Pretty gross ain't it? 984 calories and 55 grams of fat. But you get folks who think that a veggie sub has to be healthy, right? | ||
Hamtramck_steve Member Username: Hamtramck_steve Post Number: 3039 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 136.181.195.17 |
Psip, that is the same Don Lobsinger. He deserves his own thread almost. Talk about your nutjob "racial agitators" who give the suburbs and white folks in general a bad name... | ||
Wazootyman Member Username: Wazootyman Post Number: 69 Registered: 02-2006 Posted From: 68.75.220.9 |
This article (both in the magazine and freep) frusterate the hell outta me because it's just more ammo for people who bash the region, both locally and from outside. Oh, as for Jimmy Johns, go for the Turkey Tom - 476 calories, 18 grams of fat (even with the mayo), and it's damn tasty. | ||
Funkycarrie Member Username: Funkycarrie Post Number: 271 Registered: 02-2004 Posted From: 69.209.138.56 |
Wazoo...did you know that a Quarter Pounder from McDonalds has less fat and calories? Although the taste is lacking! | ||
Susanarosa Member Username: Susanarosa Post Number: 945 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 208.39.170.90 |
I'd rather have the Quarter Pounder... or a Mexican pizza from Taco Bell. | ||
Docmo Member Username: Docmo Post Number: 49 Registered: 10-2005 Posted From: 68.40.171.54 |
Lived in both LA and metro Detroit. No comparison as per Lmichigan's post. Give me sweet Detroit air anyday. At least it's sweet in comparison to that soup LA lives with. Men's Health is biased piece of crap. They are right about how fat we are though. |
