Report: Ozone level worsens in Trumbull County
A report card on air quality shows that ozone levels have worsened in Trumbull County.
A report card on air quality shows that ozone levels have worsened in Trumbull County.
The American Lung Association’s “State of the Air 2018” report released today shows that Trumbull County suffered more unhealthy ozone days than in the 2017 report.
The county went from a grade of “C” to a “D” in the report.
During the most recent testing period, Trumbull County had nine “orange days” in which air quality is unhealthy for sensitive groups such as children, active adults and people with respiratory disease such as asthma.
In comparison, Mahoning County had only one “orange day” during the period and received a grade of “B”, which is unchanged from the previous report card.
Ozone (smog) is the most widespread air pollutant, created by the reaction of sunlight on emissions from vehicles and other sources.
When ozone is inhaled, it irritates the lungs, like a bad sunburn. It can cause immediate health problems and continue days later. Ozone can cause wheezing, coughing, asthma attacks and premature death.
Both Mahoning and Trumbull counties once again received a grade of “A” for particle pollution.
Particle pollution levels can spike dangerously for hours to weeks on end (short-term) or remain at unhealthy levels on average every day (year-round).
Particle pollution can penetrate deep into the lungs and even into the bloodstream, leading to premature deaths, asthma attacks and heart attacks, as well as lung cancer.
Cleveland (tied for 10th) and Cincinnati (tied for 18th) ranked among the 25 most polluted areas for year-round particle pollution in the nation.
The Lung Association says the report documents how warmer temperatures brought by climate change make ozone more likely to form and harder to clean up.
This year’s report showed that ozone levels increased in most cities nationwide, in large part due to warmer temperatures in 2016, the second hottest year on record in the U.S.
Over the past decades, ozone pollution has decreased nationwide because the nation has cleaned up major sources of the emissions that create ozone, especially vehicles and coal-fired power plants.
Each year the “State of the Air” reports on the two most widespread outdoor air pollutants, ozone pollution and particle pollution.
The report analyzes particle pollution in two ways: through average annual particle pollution levels and short-term spikes in particle pollution. Both ozone and particle pollution are dangerous to public health and can be lethal.
“The 2018 ‘State of the Air’ report finds unhealthful levels of ozone put our citizens at risk for premature death and other serious health effects such as asthma attacks and greater difficulty breathing for those living with lung disease like COPD,” said Ken Fletcher, Director of Advocacy for the American Lung Association in Ohio. “Across the nation, the report found continued improvement in air quality, but still, more than four in 10 Americans – 133.9 million – live in counties that have unhealthful levels of either ozone or particle pollution, where their health is at risk”
“Healthy air protections are under attack and must be defended to save lives here and across the country. Air travels from one state to another, so only federal protections can help protect the air we all breathe,” added Fletcher.
