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
Philadelphia Among Top 10 Polluted Cities in ALA State of the Air Report
Metro Area Ranks Among ‘25 Most Polluted Cities’ in U.S. for Ozone, Daily and Annual Particle Pollution
Report Marks First Time Any County in the Four-State Metro Area Earned “A” for Daily Particle Pollution:
Gloucester County, NJ Posts Zero Bad Air Days for this Pollutant
Editors’ Note: Trend charts and rankings for metropolitan areas and county grades are available at
www.stateoftheair.org.
PHILADELPHIA [Embargoed Until: 5 a.m. (EDT), April 25, 2012] — The American Lung Association’s State of
the Air 2012 report finds that the four-state, 13-county Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland metro area ranks
among the 25 most polluted cities for ozone (smog) and daily and year-round particle pollution (soot).
However, the metro area’s air quality for ozone and daily particle pollution was at its cleanest since the
organization’s first annual report 12 years ago. In year-round particle pollution, the Philadelphia region
unfortunately had a slightly worse maximum pollution level based on the annual average for Chester County
(absent from last year’s report), which was enough to move the metro area into 10 th place on the nation’s
worst 25 list for this pollutant compared to last year’s tied rank of 24.
The region’s positive findings:
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For the first time, a county (Gloucester County, N.J.) from the Philadelphia metro area made the list of
the nation’s cleanest counties for daily (short-term) particle pollution, earning an “A,” with no
unhealthful days in 2008-10, the report’s years of measurement.
Camden County, N.J., earned its first passing grade (“C”) under the current short-term particle
pollution standard.
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All but one county (ironically, Gloucester County, N.J.) posted improvements in the number of bad air
days for ozone compared with the previous report, even though all 11 counties with ozone monitors
continued to earn “F’s.”
All nine counties with monitors for particle pollution posted annual averages that were an
improvement over the previous year’s averages and all earned a “Pass” grade.
In contrast, there were mixed results in daily particle pollution in four counties (Cecil County, Md., and Bucks,
Chester, and Delaware counties, Pa.) that posted more bad air days than the previous report and five counties
(New Castle County, Del., Camden and Gloucester counties, N.J., and Montgomery and Philadelphia counties,
Pa.) that posted fewer bad air days. Report grades ranged from Gloucester County’s lone “A” to “F’s” in New
Castle County, Del., and Chester (this county had a “C” last year) and Philadelphia counties, Pa. The metro
area tied for a rank of 22nd worst in the nation for this pollutant, slightly better than its 20th place on last year’s
report.
In ozone, State of the Air 2012 found that despite significant region-wide improvements, the Philadelphia
metro area’s national rank worsened to 16th from 20th worst in the previous report.
“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 Philadelphia metro area, are still forced to breathe unhealthy levels of air pollution as a result
of air quality standards that are outdated. The Philadelphia area should also explore other contributing
factors to the region’s poor air quality results.”
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
Philadelphia 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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