State of the Air Report

The American Lung Association released its State of the Air: 2009 Report this month. The 10th annual report states that air pollution has significantly improved in some areas of the country, but major cities still have significant problems with pollutants.

In urban areas, ozone gas is one of the biggest causes of air pollution. While the ozone layer in the Earth’s upper atmosphere helps defend against the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays, ground-level ozone (called ozone pollution) can have harmful effects on human health and the environment. Ozone pollution occurs when sunlight combines with nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbons, which are produced by vehicles and factories.

In March 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) adopted stricter standards for ozone pollution. Based on these new standards, about 58 percent of Americans, or 175.4 million people, live in counties with unhealthy levels of ozone pollution.

Some major cities, such as Los Angeles and Houston, reported improvements in ozone pollution. However, 16 of the 25 most polluted cities (including Charlotte, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Cincinnati) experienced a worsening in pollution over the last year.

Particle pollution is also a health threat to many Americans. Particulate matter air pollutants are a mixture of very small particles and liquid droplets that occur in many shapes and sizes. Although nine of the most polluted cities reported decreases in their average annual particle pollution, 12 cities reported increases. About 47 million U.S. residents live in areas with unhealthy levels of particle pollution. Over time, exposure to these particles may increase the risk of asthma, lung damage and premature death.

The American Lung Association also provided suggestions for reducing indoor and outdoor air pollution. The organization encourages individuals to drive less, use less electricity, burn less wood or trash and support state and local efforts to reduce air pollution.

For more information about air pollution, please visit Natural Standard’s Environmental Resources database.

Comments

[Edgar Allensby]

This is a very informational report that I never knew even existed. Growing up, I feel I was exposed to more secondhand smoke than I would have liked to been. This concerns me, as I feel my lungs were perhaps never able to fully and properly develop. I do not have any respiratory illnesses, but I feel sometimes that my lungs are not as strong as the rest of my body and systems. Now, given this information, if I were planning to move somewhere in the future, I would be sure to thoroughly review this report. I wonder how many families with relatives that have asthma, allergies, COPD, or lung cancer for that matter, have no idea that their loved ones are at risk to suffer even more greatly. Cities that are on the top of the list for worst air quality and do not show any signs of improvement should have steep sanctions placed upon them.

[Macey]

This air report is really captivating. If you click on the link provided by Natural Standard, you'll come to the full report on the American Lung Association site. There's a map of the country, and by clicking on my state (Maine), I found some rather alarming information. Urban areas are not the only ones where people are at risk. Maine, largely rural and in many parts down right remote, three out of 13 counties received the letter grade "F" (as in flunk, fail) for frequency of high ozone days, and three others received a "D." Also, f you click on the "groups at risk" tab, you'll see a useful breakdown by county and age.

[Claire]

Outdoor air pollution is an obvious problem, but I never really thought about the consequences of indoor pollution until I read this story. According to some online sources, it is important to make sure your home is properly ventilated and cleaned. The same things that cause outdoor pollution, vehicle exhausts, pesticides, and ozone, can also contribute to indoor pollution. Scary to think that you can't escape air pollution in your home!

[Gretta]

I never knew there was a State of the Air report! This report provides a lot of useful information! I looked up my state and county, and it was interesting to see that the air quality in the various counties of the same state varied so greatly. Hopefully, this sort of data collection will help communities to make more of an effort to keep their air clean.

[Stephen]

We have become accustomed to living in an environment with cars and overuse of electricity. It's like we do not notice all the damage this unclean air is doing to our bodies. I hope reports such as the State of the Air will help spur efforts to reverse this damage.

[Diego]

It’s interesting that the American Lung Association State of the Air report results are broken down by county. Some counties are very large and contain not only metropolitan areas, but also rural areas. Is there not a lot of variability on air quality from one town to the next, thus making it okay to break the results down only by county? And also it seems that many counties received grades of F for quality but did not necessarily have a large number of days that are "unhealthy for sensitive populations" (ie. Suffolk County has 19 days, and nothing else) and no days that are unhealthy/very unhealthy. These results don’t seem so terrible to me.

[Ajlouny]

If we all do our part in reducing air pollution and living green, there can be a significant difference in our quality of life.