Alaska Scores Mixed Grades in State of the Air Report

Alaska (April 27, 2011)—

EMBARGOED UNTIL:  1 a.m. (AKDT), April 27, 2011                                             

CONTACT:  Renée Klein  
rklein@lungmtpacific.org 
(206) 920-0343       

Alaska Scores Mixed Grades in American Lung Association’s
Annual State of the Air Report

Report Cites Unhealthy Particle Pollution Levels,
But Ozone Levels Show Improvement

Editors’ Note: Multimedia toolkit including broadcast quality b-roll and photographs are available at www.stateoftheair.com.  Trend charts and rankings for metropolitan areas and county grades are available at www.stateoftheair.org.

Anchorage, AK. [Embargoed Until: 1 a.m. (AKDT), April 27, 2011]—Air quality in Alaska received mixed grades in the American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2011, which found that people in some areas of Alaska are breathing dangerous levels of particle pollution (soot). 

Fairbanks North Star Borough (which received an “F” grade) and Juneau City and Borough (which received a “C”) were noted as having some of the dirtiest areas for short-term particle pollution.  In fact, the Fairbanks area ranks as one of the areas most polluted by short-term particle pollution in the United States.  They are now the 19th most polluted area for unhealthy levels of short-term particle pollution, up from 44th most polluted in the 2010 report.   

Some areas are breathing clean air, though – Anchorage Municipality (“A”) and Matanuska-Susitna Borough (“B”) are noted in the report as having less short-term particle pollution, with Anchorage Municipality experiencing no days of unhealthy short-term particle pollution.

In terms of ozone pollution levels, the Denali Borough area actually improved their grade from a “C” in last year’s report to a “B” grade this year. 

The Lung Association’s annual air quality report reveals that just over half the nation—154.5 million people—live in areas with levels of ozone and/or particle pollution that are often dangerous to breathe. Even though so many people live in areas where bad air can make them sick, some members of Congress are proposing changes to the Clean Air Act that would weaken the enforcement needed to continue to reduce air pollution, threatening human health.

“State of the Air 2011 tells us that the Clean Air Act is working, based on trends nationwide, but people living in Alaska are still breathing levels of particle pollution that are dangerous,” said Renée Klein, President & CEO of the American Lung Association of the Mountain Pacific. “Clearly, this is not the time to slow or stop the enormous progress made to reduce air pollution. The American Lung Association in Alaska will continue to fight to keep the Clean Air Act strong to protect everyone’s health.” 

The State of the Air 2011 report grades cities and counties based, in part, on the color-coded Air Quality Index developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help alert the public to daily unhealthy air conditions. The 12th annual release of the Lung Association’s report uses the most recent EPA data collected from 2007 through 2009 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.

Particle levels can spike dangerously for hours to weeks on end (short-term) or remain at unhealthy levels on average every day (year-round). “Particle pollution kills," said Patty Ginsburg, Board member of the regional American Lung Association of the Mountain Pacific. “When you breathe these microscopic particles, you are inhaling a noxious mix of chemicals, metals, acid aerosols, ash, soot and others from diesel exhaust and other sources. It is as toxic as it sounds and can lead to early death, asthma exacerbations, heart attacks, strokes and emergency room visits in substantial numbers. Science clearly has proven that we need to protect the health of the public from the dangers of particle pollution.”

Ozone (smog) is the most widespread air pollutant, created by the reaction of sunlight on emissions from vehicles and other sources.  When ozone is inhaled, it irritates the lungs. It can cause immediate health problems and continue days later. Ozone can cause wheezing, coughing, asthma attacks and even premature death.

Despite continued levels of toxic air pollution nationwide and evidence that clean-ups have drastically cut air pollution levels, some members of Congress are proposing to weaken or block enforcement of the Clean Air Act, including steps to strip legal authority and funding from the EPA. Such moves would undermine the cleanup that remains, including the long-overdue cleanup of coal-fired power plants EPA recently proposed.  As the Lung Association pointed out in its March report on toxic air pollution from coal-fired power plants, the pollution from more than 440 coal-fired power plants in 46 states are among the biggest contributors to ozone and particle pollution in the U.S. In addition, these plants produce 84 known hazardous air pollutants like arsenic, mercury, dioxins, formaldehyde and hydrogen chloride, which blow across state lines polluting the air thousands of miles away from the plants. Since this pollution spreads across state lines, the EPA’s ability to enforce standards is the only protection many communities have.

The American Lung Association released a bipartisan poll in February that showed Americans overwhelmingly support efforts for even tougher air quality standards and oppose Congressional action that interferes with the EPA’s ability to update clean air standards. “Some in Congress are working to weaken the Clean Air Act and care more about protecting the interests of industry polluters than the health of Americans,” said Klein.

The Clean Air Act saved more than 160,000 lives in 2010, according to EPA’s recent analysis. The American Lung Association in Alaska is committed to keeping the law strong to protect children, the elderly and people who suffer from lung disease.

The American Lung Association in Alaska urges the public to voice support for the EPA to continue to protect the air in every community by visiting www.lungaction.org and to learn how their communities rank in State of the Air 2011 by visiting www.stateoftheair.org. For the first time, people can compare the findings for different metropolitan areas online.

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About the American Lung Association in Alaska
The American Lung Association in Alaska is a non-profit, voluntary public health organization working to save lives by fighting lung disease and promoting lung health in Alaska. Our programs focus on the areas of asthma, clean air, tobacco prevention, and lung disease.

For more information about the American Lung Association in Alaska or to support the work it does, call (907) 276-5864 or visit www.aklung.org.