Legacy Health Joins HAO partnership
Oregon Toxics Alliance is proud to welcome Legacy Health to our rapidly growing list of business partners in our Healthy Air Oregon campaign!
[See our Press Page for details and press resources]
Legacy Health Puts the Breaks on Idling
Portland, Oregon
Legacy Health will soon begin educating company drivers about the harmful effect of unnecessary vehicle idling. The effort is part of a larger green strategy called Healthy Air Oregon and new partnership with the Oregon Toxics Alliance, an environmental health based non-profit group focusing on protecting air and water quality.
“As an organization, we are trying to do whatever we can to prevent air pollution that harms our health, and one significant thing we can do is not idling our cars and trucks.” said Pat Lydon, Strategic Resources Coordinator for Legacy Health. “This effort is just one more way we can demonstrate our commitment to creating a healthy sustainable environment for ourselves and generations to come.”
Idling cars and trucks puts harmful pollutants into the air including benzene, a chemical present in gasoline fumes, known to increase risk of childhood leukemia and other cancers. According to Environmental Protection Agency, there is no safe level of benzene exposure. Children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable.
“Medical research has confirmed that exposure to tailpipe emissions significantly raises the risk for childhood leukemia and asthma,” said Lisa Arkin, director of the Oregon Toxics Alliance. “Oregon has a very high incidence of both diseases, so this is a partnership developed out of a shared concern for our community’s health.”
Other Healthy Air partners include the City of Portland and Multnomah County. Both have adopted “No Idling” policies for all city and county vehicles, respectively. This policy supports the goal of their joint Climate Action Plan to reduce local carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. Multnomah County became the first entity in Oregon to work with Oregon Toxics Alliance to develop a “No Idling” policy in 2007.
Contacts:
Legacy Health Contact:
Amber Shoebridge
Phone: 503-413-2939
Email: ashoebridge@lhs.org
Oregon Toxics Alliance Contact:
Lisa Arkin
Phone: 541-465-8860
Email: larkin@oregontoxics.org
[See our Press Page for details and press resources]
