The Fayetteville Observer
April 29, 2015
View the ordinal here:http://www.fayobserver.com/news/local/american-lung-association-report-finds-cumberland-county-s-air-quality/article_443fa6fe-7a71-518d-9425-1635bf44c07f.html
A report released today by the American Lung Association shows Cumberland County’s air quality has improved.
The county had a weighted average of 2.7 high ozone days, earning it a grade of ‘C’, up from a ‘D’ in last year’s report. The county has continued its good marks when it comes to particle pollution, earning a passing grade for its year-round average and an A for short-term.
“Cumberland County can certainly be proud of the progress we’ve made, but there’s still work to be done to make our air healthy for all of us, especially our children and those with asthma or chronic lung disease,” Fayetteville resident Alison Lawrence Jones, project manager of Mothers & Others for Clean Air, a program of the American Lung Association in North Carolina, said in a statement.
High levels of ozone and particle pollution can trigger asthma attacks and other complications, and in some cases can lead to greater risk of premature death, the report notes.
Tom Mather, spokesman for the state’s Division of Air Quality, said it’s important to keep in mind that the ratings released by the American Lung Association are not the same as the Environmental Protection Agency’s, which are either met or not met.
Areas in full compliance with clean air standards, he said, could see low ratings in the State of the Air report.
That said, North Carolina has seen dramatic improvements in air quality across the state, Mather said.
In 2000, about one-third of counties exceeded the EPA’s ozone standard and all have now dropped below.
About 10 years ago, the state was issuing alerts for high ozone levels about once every third day during the summer, Mather said. Last year, there were none, and the year before, there was just one.
“It does fluctuate some based on the weather, but we’re confident that will continue because emissions are going down,” he said.
A clean smokestacks bill passed by the state in 2002 has helped reduce industrial pollution, and subsequent legislation at the federal level has helped clean air in surrounding states that may make it’s way into North Carolina, Mather said.
And tighter standards for vehicle engines and fuel at the federal level has helped drive reductions in admissions as well, he said.
Local efforts have helped as well, said Hanah Ehrenreich, executive director of Sustainable Sandhills, which coordinates the local Air Quaility Stakeholders Comittee.
Local policies among the school system, city and county that prohibit idling of their fleet vehicles further reduces emissions, she said.
In addition, local governments and Fort Bragg are doing more to promote reforestation, which helps add shade and promote oxygenation, she said.
“We can always be doing more,” Ehrenreich said, “but a lot of it for us resides on transit and what kind of fuel burning we’re doing.”
Promoting walkable and bikable cities is important to that effort, especially on days when the ozone level is high. On such days, she suggests, people should consider carpooling, avoid running gas-powered lawn mowers, and limit other devices that could contribute to the problem.
Staff writer Paige Rentz can be reached at rentzp@fayobserver.com or 486-2728.
