Center for Environment to Provide Information for Senior Health & Wellness Day

The staff of the Center for the Environment at Catawba College will provide information on the link
between air quality and health at the 13th Annual Senior Health & Wellness Day Wednesday, March 14,
at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center on Highway 49 North in Concord. The Center’s effort is part of
its Campaign for Clean Air.

The event, which is free and open to the public, includes health screenings, informational displays and
exhibits, door prizes, class/activity demonstrations, entertainment and food.

It is coordinated by the Cabarrus County Senior Centers, Cabarrus County Department of Aging Advisory
Board, Cabarrus County Council on Aging, Cabarrus County Wellness for Life, Cabarrus Health Alliance,
Concord Parks and Recreation Department, N.C. Cooperative Extension-Cabarrus Center and Carolinas
Medical Center-NorthEast.

A study conducted last summer by the Center for the Environment and Dr. Cindy Hauser of Davidson
College confirmed that Cabarrus and other counties in the Metro Charlotte area have high ozone
levels. The American Lung Association’s 2011 State of the Air Report noted that the Charlotte-Gastonia-
Salisbury area ranks 10th among monitored metropolitan regions for the worst ground-level ozone in the
nation.

Older citizens are particularly vulnerable to high ozone levels. The N.C. Division of Air Quality reveals
the severity of the issue: “Ground-level ozone can cause acute respiratory problems, aggravate asthma,
temporarily decrease lung capacity (from 15-20 percent in a healthy adult), cause inflammation of lung
tissue and impair the immune system, making [individuals] more susceptible to respiratory illnesses, like
bronchitis and pneumonia.”