Sebastian County air quality gets good grade

Fort SmithNews on the Wire

by The City Wire staff ([email protected]) May 1, 2009 12:36 pm 59 views 

Sebastian county residents can breathe easier than many other people throughout the nation.

The American Lung Association has released its “State of the Air” report for 2009, which gives Sebastian County a “B” in the category of Particle Pollution. This is the second year in a row Sebastian County received a “B.”  The Association does not monitor Ozone Pollution in Sebastian County, nor does it monitor any air quality standards in Crawford County.

According to the association, six out of 10 people in the U.S. live in counties with unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution. Ozone is the gas that is the primary ingredient in smog. It should not be confused with the Ozone Layer in the upper atmosphere which protects the Earth from harmful Ultra Violet rays from the sun. Particle pollution is a mix of solid and liquid particles in the air, and both aggravate asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and other cardiovascular diseases.

Other areas of the state did not fare as well as Sebastian County. Pulaski County received an “F” for Particle Pollution. With 39 Orange Alert Days, it received an “F” for Ozone pollution. Orange is “Unhealthy for sensitive populations,” Red is “Unhealthy,” and Purple is “Very Unhealthy.”  

Crittenden County (near Memphis) received a “D” for particle pollution, but received an “F” for ozone pollution. It had 31 Orange Alert Days and 7 Red Alert Days. Polk County received a mixed grade. It received an “A” for particle pollution, but a “D” for ozone pollution, with 8 Orange Alert Days. Polk County is also listed as one of the “Cleanest Counties for Short Term Particle Pollution” in the U.S.

Many Arkansas counties are not listed in the report since the American Lung Association does not monitor pollution in those counties.

The most polluted cities in the U.S. are Los Angeles, CA for Ozone, Bakersfield, CA for Year Round Particle Pollution and Pittsburg, PA for Short Term Particle Pollution.    The cleanest cities are Billings, MT for Ozone, Alexandra, LA for Year Round Particle Pollution and Cheyenne, WY for Short Term Particle Pollution.