In its annual State of the Air report, the group applauded reductions in smog since its peak in 2002, and blamed the rise in soot — also called particle pollution — on coal-fired power plants in the east.
"Particle pollution is lethal, it can kill you," the association's Janice Nolen said in a telephone intervew. Fine soot particles can get trapped deep in the lungs and can lead to heart attack, stroke, lung cancer and asthma attacks, Nolen said.
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