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A new report released today shows that nearly half of all New Yorkers live in areas where the air does not meet minimum standards.The American Lung Association's 2008 State of the Air report says seven of New York State's 33 counties receive failing grades for air quality. More than 8.2 million people live in that area -- adding up to nearly half of the state's population.
New York City also finished eighth among all cities most polluted by ozone.
The Bronx and Manhattan both failed tests for annual and short-term particle pollution, while Queens failed for annual particle pollution, and Staten Island failed for ozone.
The ALA says New Yorkers are breathing in a dangerous mix of toxins.
"To a large extent, New York City's air problems are the result of high traffic, the density of traffic," said Louise Vetter, president and chief executive officer of the ALA of NYC. "We are also faced with power plant pollution blowing from the Midwest. And the power fuel used to heat our buildings is actually quite dirty."
"So building emissions, vehicle emissions, and then power plants create a triple threat for the New York City area," she continued.
Eight counties did improve to an A for ozone pollution.
"We've seen over the last nine years that the ozone levels are particularly high and the particle pollution is particularly dangerous," said Vetter. "Some boroughs have seen modest improvements, from and F to a D in ozone. But really, if your child brought home a grade of a D, you wouldn't be comfortable with that and New Yorkers require better air quality."
New Yorkers had a mixed reaction to the report.
"I don't think [the air quality is] that bad," said one New Yorker.
"Sometimes when it's really hot, there's a kind of heaviness and you feel like there's a lot of smog or smoke in the air and you draw a breath in, yeah you feel something uncomfortable," said another. "But you get used to it."
The Lung Association says poor air quality can contribute to respiratory diseases, such as asthma attacks, coughing, wheezing, chest pain and even death.
"There has been an increase in the patients that have been coming in with referrals from internists just to pulmonologists in particular for breathing," said Dr. Sonali Sethi of St. Vincents Hospital. "
Smog gets worse with heat, and with summer just around the corner, expect a decrease in air quality and an increase in respiratory problems.
One New Yorker suggested for improvements, "More mass transit, more carpooling, less cars."
Los Angeles retains its title as most polluted city in the country -- but Pittsburgh has grabbed the distinction of "sootiest."
Numbers are based on air quality measurements reported to the Environmental Protection Agency.
