‘Good news, bad news’: Air quality report results mixed
A report released Wednesday by the American Lung Association finds that air quality in the Pittsburgh metropolitan region remains among the nation’s worst.
According to the 2023 “State of the Air” report, the 12-county region, which includes Washington and Fayette counties, saw significant improvement in levels of ozone pollution (receiving its first overall passing mark of “C,” up from an “F” last year), but it continues to rank among the 25 worst metropolitan areas in the country for both daily and year-round particle pollution.
The region ranked 20th worst out of 223 metro areas for daily particle pollution and 14th worst out of 200 metro areas for year-round particle pollution.
The lung association’s 24th annual report looks at data from 2019 to 2021.
Nationally, the report found that nearly 120 million people, or more than 1 in 3, in the U.S. live in counties that had unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution.
“As we can see from this year’s report data, there is much work to be done in the Pittsburgh metro area to improve our air quality,” said Kevin Stewart, Director of Environmental Health for the lung association. “Even one poor air quality day is one too many for our residents at highest risk, such as children, older adults, pregnant women and those living with chronic disease.”
The ALA is calling on lawmakers at local, state and federal levels to move forward on several measures to clean up air pollution nationwide, including new pollution limits on ozone and particle pollution and new measures to clean up power plants and vehicles.
Nationally, the report found that ozone pollution has generally improved across the nation, which the ALA attributes in large part to the Clean Air Act, a landmark law passed more than 50 years ago to reduce pollution.
“It’s a good news, bad news kind of report,” said Stewart, noting the Pittsburgh metro area’s ranking for ground-level ozone pollution improved significantly for the fourth straight year, from 46th to 54th most polluted. “We wanted to acknowledge that definitely there is progress, but it still ranks in the bottom out of the 227 metro areas ranked for ozone.”
The report found that year-round particle pollution levels in the Pittsburgh metro area were slightly higher than last year’s best level ever. Its ranking of 14th most-polluted for year-round particle pollution meets the air quality standard, but it is third-worst in the nation for the measure east of Phoenix, Ariz.
The ALA said ozone and particle pollution poses significant health threats to humans, increasing the risk of premature birth, causing or worsening lung and heart disease, and shortening lives.
Particle pollution can increase the risk of heart disease, lung cancer and asthma attacks, and interfere with the growth and function of the lungs. Some of those particles can be visible to the naked eye – like soil, dirt, pollen, smoke and soot – while others are microscopic.
Sources of air pollution include fuel combustion from vehicles and equipment, and construction activities. Natural events like wildfires, droughts and desertification – made more intense and frequent by climate change – also increase atmospheric particle pollution, the lung association said.
Dr. Timothy Burns, an oncologist at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, said pollution in the Pittsburgh metro area has short-term and long-term impacts on the patients.
“I have people ask me if my patients complain about air quality, and they don’t directly. But they tell me about how their asthma is flaring up and the COPD is acting up, and as we get warmer and warmer weather, I’m seeing that more frequently, the day-to-day impacts,” said Burns. “And there are the long-term impacts. This is contributing to the high rates of lung cancer in the area, heart attacks, rising asthma rates, especially in the number of children. And it can have effects on women – exposure is tied to decreased birth weights – and their children.”
In response to the study, Pittsburgh Works Together, a business-labor alliance, issued a press release disputing the report, saying the Pittsburgh region met federal air quality standards for particle pollution and ozone and that the ALA’s assessment of air quality is inaccurate.
Stewart, however, contends studies have shown the current federal standards for air quality are inadequate for protecting public health and noted the ALA believes federal standards should be stricter to protect people’s health.
Washington and Fayette counties earned “A” grades for ozone pollution and “B” grades for 24-hour particle pollution, and both passed for annual particle pollution. Allegheny County received an “F” for daily particle pollution and a C for ozone pollution.
See the full report at Lung.org/SOTA.