The American Lung Association’s 2017 “State of the Air” report has both good and bad news for New Yorkers: there have been great improvements in air quality statewide, but more than a third of us are still breathing unhealthy air.
Monroe County made the biggest single improvement in the state, from an “F” to an “A.” The number of “unhealthful” air quality days went down from 12 in the 2012-to-2014 period all the way to zero in the years since.
The main problem is ozone, the most widespread pollutant in the United States, produced by sunlight acting on the gases given off by combustion. It’s known to contribute to asthma and lung disease, especially in the very young and the old. The secondary problem is particle pollution, mainly soot from coal-burning power plants. New York is also doing much better there. All counties got a passing grade in this latest study.
The Lung Association says New York and the other Northeastern States working together have been closing old coal plants and getting rid of older, sooty diesel motors.