Dr. Clay Ballantine, a nationally recognized expert on air pollution and health, will launch the fall 2004 Clean Air Lecture Series at the Catawba College Center for the Environment on Tuesday, Sept. 14.
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The 7:15 presentation will be held in Room 300 of the Catawba Center for the Environment facility on the college campus. A reception at 6:45 p.m. will precede the lecture, which is free and open to the public. The event is funded by a gift from Rowan Regional Medical Center.
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The Asheville internal medicine hospitalist physician offered testimony in 2002 on air pollution’s impact on health before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Public Health. He serves on the board of directors of the state chapter of the American Lung Association as well as the Asheville-Buncombe County Clean Air Community Trust.
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Ballantine has studied extensively about the health and economic effects of air pollution exposure. He authored the clean air resolution that was adopted unanimously by the North Carolina Medical Society and helped to secure passage of the N.C. Clean Smokestacks Act. He has presented information about air pollution and health at the local, state, regional and national level.
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The Catawba Center for the Environment is spearheading the Clean Air Initiative in cooperation with the Rowan Sustainable Community Development Commission. Rowan, Mecklenburg, Iredell, Cabarrus, Union, Gaston, Lincoln, Davie and Davidson are among 32 counties in the state that do not meet federal air quality standards.
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Initial sponsors of the Clean Air Initiative include F&M Bank, Central Carolina Bank, Wachovia Bank, Rowan Bank, Bank of North Carolina, Power Curbers Inc., the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the Blanche & Julian Robertson Family Foundation Inc., the County of Rowan, the City of Salisbury, Fred and Alice Stanback and Catawba College.
