Erie, Chautauqua counties receive 'F' in Lung Association's annual 'State of the Air'
By Nick Lippa | Apr 18, 2018 | WBFO
The American Lung Association has released their 2018 “State of the Air”
report citing air quality has worsened. It found 9.4 million New
Yorkers are breathing unhealthy air.
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| Credit: American Lung Association |
Chautauqua and Erie counties both received an "F" grade for high
ozone days from 2014 to 2016. Ozone can have a major impact on children
and older adults with asthma and other lung diseases. One of the reasons
things look worse is because 2016 was the second hottest year in
recorded history for most of America. Increased heat often means
increased ozone.
American Lung Association Vice President for
National Policy Janice Nolen said great progress has been made over the
past two decades, but rising seasonal temperatures could pose a problem
in the future.
“With ozone it does vary a lot because of the
relationship with the heat,” said Nolen. “It also means that we have to
do more to clean it up because we are battling that heat that is growing
as a result of climate change. It’s sort of a continuing struggle. When
you look at the trend charts we’re heading in the right direction but
we are not where we need to be yet.”
There is also a problem of
pollution coming from other parts of the country and settling in certain
areas. American Lung Association Vice President of Communications for
the Northeast Michael Seilback said New York is part of a region that’s
become known as the tailpipe of the nation.
“New York and
Connecticut both filed comments with the EPA asking them to take action
against a power plant in Pennsylvania, whose air pollution in the ozone
is traveling and settling over our region,” said Seilback.
While a
hot 2016 year caused serious ozone problems for the region, something
New York got “A” grades for was short-term and year-round particle
pollution maintenance.
Read more at
WBFO
The American Lung Associations's 'State of the Air 2018' report is
here.
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How is Ozone formed at the Ground Level?
Ground-level Ozone ('bad' ozone) is created by chemical reactions between Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the presence of Heat and Sunlight.
Emissions from industrial facilities, electric utilities, motor vehicle exhaust, gasoline vapors, and chemical solvents are some of the major sources of NOx and VOCs.
How can Ozone affect my Health?
If you have asthma, bronchitis, or emphysema, ozone can make your symptoms worse. Carefully follow your asthma management plan on days when ozone levels are high.
Ozone has also been linked to:
- Coughing and pain when taking a deep breath
- Lung and throat irritation
- Wheezing and trouble breathing during exercise or outdoor activities
Who is most at risk?
Ozone can affect anyone, but it bothers some people more than others.
People most likely to experience health effects caused by ozone
include:
- People with asthma or other lung diseases
- Older adults
- People of all ages who exercise or work hard outside
- Babies and children
Protect Yourself and Your Family
The good news is there's a lot you can do to protect yourself and
your family from the health effects caused by ground-level ozone. Start
by learning about the
Air Quality Index from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA).
See information at the
Center for Disease Control and Prevention
See also the
New York State DEC Air Monitoring Website
