EMBARGOED UNTIL:
5 a.m. (EDT), April 25, 2012
CONTACT:
Deborah Brown
President & CEO
dbrown@lunginfo.org
(610) 563-6992
Kevin M. Stewart
Director, Environmental Health
(717) 541-5864 x36 or
(717) 330-1790 (cell)
kstewart@lunginfo.org
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
In Clean Air, Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Sees Little Improvement in American
Lung Association’s State of the Air Report
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Metro Area Air Quality Grades
Remain Unchanged as Nation Makes Progress;
Local Ranks Worsen for Ozone and Daily and Annual Particle Pollution
Lehigh and Northampton Counties Earn “F’s” for Ozone;
Northampton Gets “F,” But Warren Co., NJ Posts “B” for Daily Particle Pollution;
Area Continues to Pass for Annual Average Particle Pollution
Editors’ Note: Trend charts and rankings for metropolitan areas and county grades are available at
www.stateoftheair.org.
ALLENTOWN/BETHLEHEM/EASTON, Pa. [Embargoed Until: 5 a.m. (EDT), April 25, 2012] — The American
Lung Association’s State of the Air 2012 report finds that the two-state, four-county Allentown-BethlehemEaston metro area ranks among the 35 most polluted cities in the nation for ozone (smog) and daily and yearround particle pollution (soot). Even while the nation’s air quality for ozone and particle pollution was at its
cleanest since the organization’s first annual report 12 years ago, the A-B-E area showed some slight declines
in air quality for smog and soot pollution.
Both Lehigh and Northampton counties posted “F’s” for ozone pollution, with Lehigh County’s slight increase
in the number of bad air days resulting in a significantly poorer rank for the metro area for this pollutant,
moving it to 34th worst from 67th worst on last year’s report.
Particle pollution is not monitored in Lehigh County, but air pollution levels for Northampton County, Pa., and
Warren County, N.J., produced the same grades as last year, an “F” and a “B,” respectively, for daily (shortterm) particle pollution, and “Pass” grades for annual average particle pollution.
Although its number of bad air days for short-term particle pollution improved somewhat in absolute terms,
Northampton County’s annual average soot pollution levels actually increased slightly in the 2012 report.
Ranks for short- and long-term particle pollution therefore worsened from 33rd and 57th worst in last year’s
report to 27th and 32nd worst, respectively.
“State of the Air shows that we’re making steady progress in cutting dangerous pollution from the air as a
result of cleanup efforts required under the Clean Air Act,” said Deb Brown, president and CEO of the
American Lung Association of the Mid-Atlantic. “But millions of Americans across the country, including
residents of the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton metro area, are still forced to breathe unhealthy levels of air
pollution as a result of air quality standards that are outdated.”
The report details the trend that standards set under the Clean Air Act to cleanup major air pollution
sources—including coal-fired power plants, diesel engines, and SUVs—are working to drastically cut ozone and
particle pollution from the air. Despite the improvements, the job of cleaning the air is not finished. More than
40 percent of people in the United States live in areas where air pollution continues to threaten their health.
That means more than 127 million people are living in counties with dangerous levels of either ozone or
particle pollution that can cause wheezing and coughing, asthma attacks, heart attacks, and premature death.
Those at greatest risk from air pollution include infants, children, older adults, anyone with lung diseases like
asthma, people with heart disease or diabetes, people with low incomes and anyone who works or exercises
outdoors.
“Particle pollution can be deadly,” said Kevin M. Stewart, director of environmental health of the American
Lung Association of the Mid-Atlantic. “When you breathe particle pollution, you are inhaling a toxic mix of
chemicals, metals, aerosols, ash, and diesel exhaust. It can cause asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes,
emergency room visits and even premature death. There is absolutely no question regarding the need to
protect public health from particle pollution.”
Ozone (smog), the most widespread air pollutant, is created by the reaction of sunlight on emissions from
vehicles and other sources. “When ozone is inhaled, it irritates the lungs, like a bad sunburn,” says Stewart. “It
can cause immediate health problems and continue days later. Ozone can cause wheezing, coughing, asthma
attacks and premature death.”
Although air quality improvements clearly result from standards put into place under the Clean Air Act, big
polluters and some members of Congress continue to propose to dismantle the law. Recent proposals in the
Congress have included delaying implementation and blocking enforcement of parts of the law, and limiting
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ability to consider all of the scientific evidence regarding the
harm to public health. These challenges come despite EPA’s estimate that cutting air pollution through the
Clean Air Act will prevent at least 230,000 deaths and save $2 trillion annually by 2020.
“Dangerous and potentially deadly levels of smog and particle pollution continue to affect public health,” said
Brown. “Cleanups have resulted in healthier air to breathe in other parts of the country, but people in the
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton metro area and more than 40 percent of our nation are still breathing
dangerously polluted air. We must continue to fight for clean air and demand the full implementation of the
Clean Air Act.”
The American people support the need for stricter limits on air pollution standards and the authority of the
EPA to enforce these standards. A recent bipartisan survey found that about two-thirds of voters (66 percent)
favor the EPA updating air pollution standards by setting stricter limits. Nearly three quarters (73 percent) of
voters believe the nation does not have to choose between air quality and a strong economy.
State of the Air 2012 grades cities and counties based, in part, on the color-coded Air Quality Index developed
by the EPA to alert the public to daily unhealthy air conditions. The 13 th annual report uses the most recent,
quality-controlled EPA data collected from 2008 through 2010 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.
The American Lung Association in Pennsylvania urges the public to join the fight for clean air and to learn how
to protect themselves and their families from air pollution by visiting www.stateoftheair.org.
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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
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