Albany
Global warming has increased harmful ground level ozone in the Capital Region, according to a study released Tuesday by the American Lung Association.
Since ozone becomes more prevalent at high temperatures, the rising number of hot days over the last several years has increased exposure to the toxin across much of the nation - even as the level of particulates such as dust and soot have fallen due to pollution controls, according to Lung Association researchers.
”Because of climate change, the nation is heading in the wrong direction when it comes to protecting public health,” Michael Seilback, the Association’s National Assistant Vice President for State Public Policy said with release of the study, titled “State of the Air.”
Using EPA air monitoring stations, the study covered the years between 2016 and 2018. A previous study looked at the three years prior for comparison.
The Albany area’s ozone ranking went from “B” to “C” - thanks largely to the warmer days.
Ozone at ground level is formed when pollutants like nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds from fossil fuel combustion react with sunlight. The highest levels are generally during hot, sunny days of summer.
Ozone can exacerbate asthma and trigger breathing problems in normally healthy people.
“Warmer temperatures make ozone more likely to form and harder to clean up,” said Seilback.
The Albany area had four “orange” high ozone days between 2016 and 2018. The ozone levels are ranked from green, which is good, to hazardous, which is maroon. An orange rating means the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups. Purple is “very unhealthy,” and maroon is “hazardous.”
Up to 54 parts per billion is considered healthy while more than 200 ppb is hazardous.
The orange rating is 71-85 ppb.
Ozone is particularly bad downstate, with higher density, warmer temperatures and lots of traffic.
Locations like Suffolk County, Bronx, Queens and Manhattan received “F” grades on ozone. One county, Rockland, experienced the only “purple” or hazardous day during the study period.
But news from the study wasn’t all bad. The Capital Region still received an A grade for the level of particulates, such as soot or smoke in the air. And the region’s long-term air quality had a passing grade, the result of efforts to clean up or retire coal burning power plants and improvements such as cleaner diesel engines.
The study also looked at short term spikes of particulates, which can be hazardous to one’s health.
While the body’s natural defenses repel larger particulates, smaller ones can lodge in the lungs and enter the bloodstream. It can also lead to lung cancer, said Dr. Payel Gupta, an allergist who works with the Lung Association.
The latest study comes as President Trump's administration has been rolling back both mileage and smokestack standards for coal burning plants located largely in the Midwest.
That’s a problem since prevailing winds from plants in states like Ohio or Indiana move east and increase the pollution levels in the Northeast.
Researchers found that Suffolk County Long Island and eastern Connecticut had some of the highest ozone levels in the study.
For that reason, Seilback said, “Our region is often called the tailpipe of the nation.”