Connecticut Advocates, Elected Officials, & Public Health Experts Speak Out Against High Asthma Rates

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HARTFORD, Connecticut — Today, Sierra Club Connecticut, local environmental justice leaders, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, and state elected officials hosted a Press Conference on Connecticut’s High Asthma Rates in the Legislative Office Building.

Hartford ranked eighth in the Asthma and Allergy Foundation’s rankings of “Asthma Capitals” due to the city’s higher asthma rates and related deaths. Pollution from fossil fuel plants and systems, like the Capitol Area System, are heavy contributors to poor air quality and asthma risk in Connecticut.

A former co-generation power plant purchased by the State of Connecticut in 2022, the Capitol Area System requires extensive repair in order to continue providing heating and cooling to state and private buildings along its two mile loop, including the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the Appellate Court.

The Capitol Area System currently runs on methane gas to heat and cool the over a dozen buildings. Sierra Club is urging the State of Connecticut to lead by example and commit to a fossil fuel free, 100 percent renewable solution.

“It is beyond upsetting to see Hartford once again reach the near top of the Asthma Capitals list,” said Alycia Jenkins, Sierra Club Connecticut Organizer. “For generations, we have seen first hand here in our city how poor air quality is making our children, elders, and neighbors sicker. Now is the time for Connecticut to correct course and better address the air pollution from power plants and vehicles that is poisoning our air and worsening public health.”

“Clean air is not a luxury. It is essential to our health,” said Sen. Saud Anwar, a practicing pulmonary physician. “Air pollution puts us all at risk, but especially our children, seniors and people living with asthma. We know the harm, and we have the tools to do better. It is time to act.”

“This is a wakeup call for Connecticut policymakers and advocates. We need to do more to adopt asthma protective policies, especially in our urban communities,” said Dr. Mark Mitchell, environmental and public health physician.

“Policy makers have the power to make changes to save and improve lives and reduce asthma-related costs to society,” said Silva Sedrakian, Executive Director of Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, New England Chapter.