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County's air quality fails test
By CHASE SQUIRES, Times Staff Writer
But just barely. The American Lung Association in its annual State of the Air report released this month, gave Pasco County's air quality a failing grade, citing too much of the pollutant ozone. But although the failing grade isn't good, an ALA spokeswoman said, Pasco's rating doesn't mean residents are at substantial risk. And even those with breathing problems are fairly safe if they take precautions. Dr. Marc Yacht, director of the county's Health Department, said air quality can be of concern to some, but it's not the major health concern for his office. "For the elderly, quite frankly, anything that could compromise breathing, exacerbate pulmonary problems, it is a very large concern. The normal, healthy person walking around is normally not impacted," Yacht said. "It really is a small population of folks who could be affected." By the ALA's calculations, using federal Environmental Protection Agency data, Pasco County barely qualifies for an F. The federal government has a series of standards for air quality, based on the total tested levels of ozone and other materials in the air. Days with the lowest level of harmful substances are color-coded green. A day of moderate pollution is labeled yellow. When the air becomes harmful, it is ranked orange, then red, then purple, as the situation deteriorates. The ALA took the two most recent years of available data, 1999-2000, and judged counties across the country based on their number of days over the orange limit. Ten days a year labeled orange is an F. Pasco County came in with exactly 10 days of orange. "Relatively speaking, you're better off than a lot of other areas," ALA Florida spokeswoman Nancy Whitlock said Friday. "The orange days are primarily unhealthy for people who are sensitive, with asthma, chronic bronchitis and other problems. For a regular healthy person, it's probably not going to create any serious problems." Although a failing grade is a failing grade, the study shows there are levels of failing. Pasco's 10 days rated orange hardly measure up to the worst-rated area in the country, California's San Bernardino County, where there were 165 orange days, 55 red days, and 50 of the purple days. The lowest-ranked county in Florida was Escambia County, which includes Pensacola, which had 33 orange days and four red days. Hillsborough County had 22 orange days and three red days. Pinellas County recorded 15 orange days and one red day. Both got failing grades. On Pasco's worst days, usually in August, the ozone-laden air can cause eye and throat irritation for even healthy people, Whitlock said. On those days, people should avoid outdoor exercise. There is probably little Pasco County can do on its own to improve air quality, Whitlock said. Much of the pollution drifts in from Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, and about half of all ozone air pollution is created by cars, while the rest comes from factories and power plants. A return of car inspections in the Tampa Bay area would ensure better smog control, as would tighter controls on electric power plant emissions and truck exhaust, Whitlock said. According to the State of the Air report, more than 142-million Americans live in areas where the air puts them at risk. The most common pollutant is ozone, the primary ingredient in smog. About 58 percent of all monitored counties received a failing grade from the ALA. Southern California is home to five worst counties, according to the association's study. Not every county is monitored, but the metropolitan areas with the least ozone pollution, according to the study, are Bellingham, Wash.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Duluth, Minn.; Fargo, N.D.; and Flagstaff, Ariz. To learn moreThe full State of the Air report is online at www.stateoftheair.org. The Gulf Coast office of the American Lung Association is at www.gulflung.org.
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From today's Pasco Times |
