St. Lawrence County's Air Still Among the Cleanest in Nation, According to State of the Air Report

ALBANY, NY (04/28/2010)(readMedia)-- The American Lung Association's State of the Air 2010 report finds that St. Lawrence County's air is still among the cleanest in the nation. What's more, all North Country counties experienced fewer unhealthy air days compared with last year. According to the report, over 12 million New Yorkers – more than 62 percent of the state's residents -- live in counties where unhealthy air threatens their lives and health. This year, 19 of the 33 counties in New York state with air quality monitors received failing grades. Nevertheless, the report also shows that efforts underway to clean up air pollution in the state are making a difference.

"This year's results for the North Country are encouraging yet we still have counties with failing grades. This reminds us that air pollution is not only a downstate problem, but a problem for residents from Westchester to Watertown. Improvements need to be made because too many residents are breathing air that puts their health at risk," said Scott T. Santarella, President and CEO of the American Lung Association in New York. "The good news is that we are seeing reduced emissions from sources including power plants and diesel engines which have resulted in cleaner air"

The State of the Air report, found at www.alany.org, provides an annual national air quality "report card," based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's color-coded Air Quality Index. Using the most recent quality-assured data, the report assigns A-F grades to counties. The American Lung Association identified the number of days that each county with at least one air quality monitor experienced air quality designated as orange (unhealthy for sensitive groups), red (unhealthy), or purple (very unhealthy), to determine the grades.

"Air pollution affects everyone but it is even more of a threat to people with lung disease," said Dr. Irwin Berlin, Chief of the Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine Division at Elmhurst Hospital Center. "Ozone irritates the lungs when it is breathed in, and, particle pollution can be deadly. For my patients to have healthier lungs, we need to have cleaner air."

Significant findings for the North Country Include:

• Essex County received an F for ozone with 18 orange days and two red days. This is down from 25 orange days and two red days in 2009. The county again received a B for short-term particle pollution with one orange short-term particle day, the same as last year. Essex is ranked 7th on the top 25 cleanest counties for year-round particle pollution.

• Franklin County, which received an F for ozone pollution in last year's report, received a C this year with five orange days for ozone pollution, down from 13.

• St. Lawrence County is again among the cleanest in the nation for short-term particle pollution, with zero days of any elevated levels. St. Lawrence is also 16th on the list of the top 25 counties in the nation for long-term particle pollution.

• Hamilton County earned a C for ozone pollution with three orange days, one fewer than in last year's report.

• Jefferson County earned an F for ozone pollution with 11 orange days, down from 17 orange days and 1 red day in last year's report.

Ozone, or smog-is the most widespread air pollutant. It is a gas formed most often when sunlight reacts with vapors emitted when motor vehicles, factories, power plants and other sources burn fuel. Breathing in ozone irritates the respiratory tract and causes health problems like asthma attacks, coughing, wheezing, chest pain and even premature death.

Particle pollution, called fine particulate matter or PM 2.5, is a deadly cocktail of ash, soot, diesel exhaust, chemicals, metals and aerosols that can spike dangerously for hours to weeks on end. The body's natural defenses, coughing and sneezing, fail to keep these microscopic particles from burrowing deep within the lungs, triggering serious problems such as asthma and heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer and even early death.

For more information on air quality in New York visit us online at www.alany.org and follow us on Twitter @FightforAirNY.

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