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| Episode 111 June 20, 2006 |
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The Air We Breathe
For many children growing up in the shadow of coal-fired
power plants, athletic participation is contingent on the state of their asthma and their
ability to deal with pollutants generated by the plants. In towns across the eastern United
States, power plants lacking adequate pollution controls are spewing emissions -
recorded at 15 million tons a year nationwide - that travel into the lungs of little leaguers
and soccer players alike. Scientists believe the toxins inhaled by children while playing
sports are especially dangerous to young athletes for three reasons: their lungs are still
maturing; their immune system is still developing; and the higher rate of inhalation during
athletic activity brings more pollutants into their respiratory system.
In a two-part expose, correspondent Jon Frankel explores power companies'
resistance to the government's call to curb pollution, speaking with two former
Environmental Protection Agency investigators and former EPA head Christine Whitman
on why federal laws seem to have been laxly enforced and why the application of
pollution controls has not been a top priority. But the findings are not simply a matter of
coal-powered plants failing to meet environmental codes. The story goes deeper,
connecting wealthy business executives and their sizable political endorsements, leading
all the way to Washington. This REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration
investigates the unsettling reality facing communities where the health of their youngsters
is being compromised.
| Correspondent: Jon Frankel |
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| Producer: Joe Perskie |
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