Connecticut Coalition
for Environmental Justice

Asthma in Connecticut's cities

CT's urban communities face disproportionate asthma risks because of the highly polluted areas in which they live. Hartford and New Haven each house the state’s largest sewage sludge incinerators. Additionally, Hartford and Bridgeport feature trash incinerators that produce toxic air pollution. Trash incinerators like these are the largest source of mercury and dioxin air emissions in the region, according to the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM). Sewage sludge incinerators are the second largest source of mercury and the tenth largest source of dioxin in the region. These statistics on incinerator burning present special concern since mercury and dioxins are some of the most toxic substances known to science. CCEJ believes this pollution is related to the elevated rates of asthma prevalence in CT's major cities. In fact, rates for asthma hospitalization and emergency room visits are 2 to 3 times higher in Hartford, New Haven, and Bridgeport than elsewhere in the state.

Because of a combination of factors, high risk groups such as children and elderly are being unduly exposed to both indoor causes (e.g. allergens, dust) and outdoor causes and triggers of asthma in CT's cities. Hartford residents, in fact, suffer a 20% asthma rate, more than twice the national average. CCEJ has been working to heighten public awareness about the triggers and symptoms of asthma and the relationship of indoor and outdoor airborne toxins from pollution to asthma through its Asthma Education Speakers Bureaus and the help of our partners, the Hartford Asthma Call To Action Task Force and the Hartford Health Department.