Denver, CO
Denver metro counties get an ‘F’ for ozone pollution in latest American Lung Association report
DENVER – Each county within the Denver metro space earned a failing grade for prime ozone days, with Denver and Fort Collins particularly rating among the many worst U.S. cities for air air pollution, based on a brand new report from the American Lung Affiliation.
The 2022 “State of the Air” report, launched Thursday, reveals Denver and Fort Collins ranked among the many 25 worst cities within the nation for ozone air pollution, with Denver rating 7th and Fort Collins rating 18th on the listing. Solely cities in California and Arizona fared worse when it got here to ozone ranges.
The report discovered folks within the Denver metro skilled extra days of unhealthy ranges of ozone and particle air pollution (also called soot), and in comparison with final yr’s report, Denver’s rankings have been worse in all three areas measured by the ALA: ozone, year-round particle air pollution and short-term particle air pollution.
The report additionally discovered that for the primary time since 2016, Denver, Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Douglas, and Jefferson counties all earned a failing “F” grade for prime ozone days, with El Paso, Larimer, and Weld counties additionally getting an “F” grade.
Some areas of Colorado fared higher on the “State of the Air” report, with Grand Junction rating among the many nation’s cleanest cities, rating 13 for the High 25 cleanest cities for year-round particle air pollution. Colorado Springs and Pueblo additionally made the listing for year-round particle and short-term particle air pollution, respectively.
Archuleta and Delta counties every earned A’s for recording zero unhealthy days of excessive ozone, based on the report.
The ALA’s report comes greater than every week after the EPA proposed downgrading the Northern Entrance Vary from a “critical” to a “extreme” violator of federal ozone requirements, in a transfer that will require officers to chop emissions and pollutions within the Denver metro area.
The 2022 “State of the Air” discovered that year-round particle air pollution ranges in Colorado have been barely worse general than in final yr’s report, however all counties earned passing grades.
Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Visalia and Fresno in California earned the highest 4 spots for worst polluted cities, with Phoenix rounding out the High 5, based on the report.
The ALA states particles in air air pollution could be smaller than 1/thirtieth the diameter of a human hair and “may cause early demise and coronary heart assaults, strokes and emergency room visits.”