Air Quality, Top Environment Concern For Long Islanders: Poll

OCEANSIDE, NY — The environment is a concern for the majority of Long Islanders, that's according to a new poll from Mount Sinai South Nassau.

Of the 600 residents surveyed, only 46 percent of the adults are satisfied with the overall health of the environmental health in their community.

Delving deeper, the Truth in Medicine poll found that 89 percent of respondents from Long Island and New York City are worried about the safety of the air they breathe, while 91 percent said they are very concerned or concerned about air pollution.

“Research has shown that high levels of fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and nitric oxide can cause distress for people with heart or respiratory disease and put them at risk for other life-threatening diseases or illnesses,” said Dr. Adhi Sharma, President at Mount Sinai South Nassau.

The survey also found that 37 percent of area adults experienced some sort of health concern during the hazardous and poor air quality alerts in June caused by the smoke from the Canadian wildfires that blanketed the region.

While air quality was the top issue, respondents ranked water pollution ahead of their concerns for waste disposal, noise pollution and climate change.