EMBARGOED UNTIL:
5 a.m. (ET), April 27, 2011
CONTACT: Deborah Brown
President & CEO, Mid-Atlantic Region
Phone: (610) 563-6992 (cell)
Email: dbrown@lunginfo.org
Kevin M. Stewart
Director, Environmental Health
American Lung Association, Mid-Atlantic
Phone: (717) 541-5864 x56 or
(717) 330-1790 (cell)
Email: kstewart@ lunginfo.org
West Virginia Scores Mixed Grades in American Lung Association’s
Annual State of the Air Report
Nearly Half of West Virginians Live in Areas
Earning at Least One “F” for Air Pollution
Despite Improvements in Air Pollution, Unhealthy Levels of Ozone and Daily
Particle Pollution Persist
West Virginia Cities and Counties Among 25 Most Polluted Places in U.S.
Editors’ Note: Multimedia toolkit including broadcast quality b-roll and photographs are
available at www.stateoftheair.com. Trend charts and rankings for metropolitan areas and
county grades are available at www.stateoftheair.org.

Cabell County Worst in State for Ozone, Among Group of Five Counties Earning “F’s” for
Pollutant

Marshall County Worst in State for Short-term Particle Pollution, Placing Wheeling Metro
Area at No. 25 in Most Polluted Cities in the U.S.

Kanawha County at 2nd Worst Rank in State for All Three Pollutants of Ozone, Short-term
and Year-Round Particle Pollution

Five West Virginia Metro Areas on List of 25 U.S. Cities Most Polluted by Year-Round
Particle Pollution, Despite Passing Weak Standard

For the First Time Ever in State of the Air Report, All Pollution Measures in WV (Weighted
Average Annual Days of Poor Air Quality, Long-Term Concentrations) Show Improvement,
Although Some Grades and Rankings Do Not

Also For the First Time, of Twelve West Virginia Counties Graded for Annual Particle
Pollution, All Pass Weak Standard
CHARLESTON, W.V. [Embargoed Until: 5 AM (EDT), April 27, 2011] – People in West Virginia are
breathing dangerous levels of ozone (smog) and fine particle pollution (“soot”), although levels of both
pollutants have improved statewide, according to the American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2011
report, which gave West Virginia very different grades for the most widespread outdoor pollutants that
threaten the lives and health of Americans.
Several West Virginia counties and metropolitan areas made the top 25 most polluted lists.
Kanawha and Brooke counties tied for the 14th worst in the nation for most polluted for year-round particle
pollution. In fact, those two counties, plus Cabell (17th worst), Berkeley (tied for 24th), and Wood (30th)
Counties, for a second year, had annual levels of fine particle pollution high enough to place five
metropolitan areas on the list of 25 most polluted cities in the nation for that pollutant:
•
Charleston, WV 12th worst metro area (city)
•
Steubenville-Weirton, WV-OH 12th worst
•
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH 15th worst
•
Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV 20th worst, and
•
Parkersburg-Marietta, WV-OH 24th worst.
Even more, Marion County brought Fairmont-Clarksburg, West Virginia in at 28th worst
metropolitan area for annual particle pollution, and Marshall County landed the Wheeling, West VirginiaOhio Metropolitan Area in the 34th worst spot. In fact, the Wheeling metropolitan area was also tied for
24th place with five other U.S. cities among those most polluted by short-term (daily) fine particle pollution.
Among the most ozone-polluted cities in the report, the Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, D.C.Maryland-Virginia-West Virginia Combined Statistical Area, which includes Hampshire and Jefferson
Counties in West Virginia, was tied for 14th worst in the nation.
Although Brooke, Kanawha and Marshall Counties continued their long series of “F’s” for shortterm particle pollution, perhaps the best news here is that Hancock County earned its first passing grade
(“D”) after several “F’s.” Cabell, Monongalia, and Ohio Counties again each scored a “C”; Wood County
continued its improving trend and joined them. Raleigh County earned its sixth straight “B” and Berkeley,
Harrison and Marion Counties joined it with their first “B’s.”
Meanwhile, for the first time, all twelve counties graded for annual particle pollution levels scored
a passing grade, even though, for most if not all of those counties, the American Lung Association finds
that the average levels of particle pollution measured were insufficiently low to protect public health.
Brooke, Cabell and Kanawha Counties were the three counties that had received failing grades for this
pollutant measure in last year’s State of the Air report.
Cabell, Hancock, Kanawha, Ohio and Wood Counties again scored “F’s” for ozone. Monongalia
County improved to a “C” from an “F” in last year’s report, Berkeley County to a “C” from a “D,” and
Greenbrier County received its third “C” in a row.
Nationally, this year’s report finds that the majority of American cities most-polluted by ozone or
year-round particle pollution have improved, thanks to continued progress in the cleanup of deadly toxics
required by the Clean Air Act.
The Lung Association’s annual air quality report reveals that just over half the nation—154.5
million people—live in areas with levels of ozone and/or particle pollution that are often dangerous to
breathe. Even though so many people live in areas where bad air can make them sick, some members of
Congress are proposing changes to the Clean Air Act that would weaken the enforcement needed to
continue to reduce air pollution, threatening human health.
“State of the Air 2011 tells us that the Clean Air Act is working, based on trends nationwide, but
people living in West Virginia are still breathing levels of ozone and particle pollution that are dangerous,”
said Deb Brown, President and CEO of the American Association in the Mid-Atlantic. “Clearly, this is not
the time to slow or stop the enormous progress made to reduce air pollution. The American Lung
Association in West Virginia will continue to fight to keep the Clean Air Act strong to protect everyone’s
health.”
“We are all affected by air pollution –even the most active, healthy adults are hurt, but particularly
children, older adults and people with lung disease, diabetes, heart disease and those living in poverty.
We are all at risk.”
Of a total population of 1.8 million people, 48 percent or 866,000 residents in West Virginia live in
counties or metropolitan areas earning at least one grade of “F” for air pollution in this report. Groups at
increased risk from air pollution in West Virginia include:
Infants, Children and Youth under 18:
188,876
Persons 65 and above:
135,056
Children with Asthma:
16,017
Adults with Asthma:
59,702
Persons with Chronic Bronchitis:
30,567
Persons with Emphysema:
16,181
Persons with Heart Disease:
Persons with Diabetes:
264,394
83,557
Persons Living in Poverty:
129,726
The State of the Air 2011 report grades cities and counties based, in part, on the color-coded Air
Quality Index developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help alert the public to
daily unhealthy air conditions. The 12th annual release of the Lung Association’s report uses the most
recent EPA data collected from 2007 through 2009 from official monitors for ozone and particle pollution,
the two most widespread types of air pollution. Counties are graded for ozone, year-round particle
pollution and short-term particle pollution levels. The report also uses EPA’s calculations for year-round
particle levels.
According to the report, all metropolitan areas in the list of the 25 cities most polluted by ozone
showed improvement over the previous report, and 15 of those cities experienced the lowest levels yet.
All but two of the 25 cities most polluted with year-round particle pollution improved over last year’s
report. Only eleven cities among those most polluted by short-term spikes in particle pollution, however,
experienced improvement.
Particle 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 kills," said Kevin Stewart,
Environmental Scientist. “When you breathe these microscopic particles, you are inhaling a noxious mix
of chemicals, metals, acid aerosols, ash, soot and others from diesel exhaust and other sources. It is as
toxic as it sounds and can lead to early death, asthma exacerbations, heart attacks, strokes and
emergency room visits in substantial numbers. Science clearly has proven that we need to protect the
health of the public from the dangers of particle pollution.”
How Big is a Particle?
EPA drawing showing the size of microscopic,
dangerous particles in relation to the diameter of a
human hair (center) and fine beach sand (brown
image on the left).
Ozone 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. It can cause
immediate health problems and continue days
later. Ozone can cause wheezing, coughing,
asthma attacks and even premature death.
Despite continued levels of toxic air pollution nationwide and evidence that clean-ups have
drastically cut air pollution levels, some members of Congress are proposing to weaken or block
enforcement of the Clean Air Act, including steps to strip legal authority and funding from the EPA. Such
moves would undermine the cleanup that remains, including the long-overdue cleanup of coal-fired power
plants EPA recently proposed. As the Lung Association pointed out in its March report on toxic air
pollution from coal-fired power plants, the pollution from more than 440 coal-fired power plants in 46
states are among the biggest contributors to ozone and particle pollution in the U.S. In addition, these
plants produce 84 known hazardous air pollutants like arsenic, mercury, dioxins, formaldehyde and
hydrogen chloride, which blow across state lines polluting the air thousands of miles away from the
plants. Since this pollution spreads across state lines, the EPA’s ability to enforce standards is the only
protection many communities have.
The American Lung Association released a bipartisan poll in February that showed Americans
overwhelmingly support efforts for even tougher air quality standards and oppose Congressional action
that interferes with the EPA’s ability to update clean air standards. “Some in Congress are working to
weaken the Clean Air Act and care more about protecting the interests of industry polluters than the
health of Americans, including West Virginians,” said Deb Brown.
The Clean Air Act saved more than 160,000 lives in 2010, according to EPA’s recent analysis.
The American Lung Association in West Virginia is committed to keeping the law in place to protect all of
those at risk in air pollution, from the most vulnerable populations to the healthiest populations.
West Virginians are urged to voice support for the EPA to continue to protect the air in its
community and can do so in a number of ways:

Tell the EPA that you want the coal-fired power plants cleaned up. Go to www.lungaction.org to
send an email to the EPA.

Join the American Lung Association’s advocacy team. Visit our web site at www.stateoftheair.org
to see your local air quality grades and to send a message to Congress about protecting the
Clean Air Act.

Take steps to clean up the air in your community and to protect your family: Drive less; walk; bike;
carpool; or take the transit. Don’t burn wood or trash. Make sure your local school system uses
clean school buses. Use less electricity. Don’t exercise on high pollution days and never exercise
near busy freeways.

Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter at @LungAssociation for much more information about
lung health news.

Make a financial contribution to the ALA to support our fight for clean and healthy air.
About the American Lung Association
Now in its second century, the American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save
lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. With your generous support, the American
Lung Association is “Fighting for Air” through research, education and advocacy. For more information
about the American Lung Association, a Charity Navigator Four Star Charity and holder of the Better
Business Bureau Wise Giving Guide Seal, or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800586-4872) or visit www.lungusa.org.
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