Mon Gets Failing Air-pollution Grade
Receives an ‘F’ For Ozone, ‘C’ for Particle
Morgantown Dominion Post
6 May 2010
By Alex Lang
Monongalia County received an “F” for its ozone grade and “C” for
particle pollution over a 24-hour span in the 2010 State of the Air
report by the American Lung Association.
Jim Kotcon, a member of the Mon Valley Clean Air Coalition, said the
data was “disappointing, but not really surprising.”
The annual American Lung Association report looks at two aspects of air
quality. One area is ozone, which is formed when certain compounds or
gases react to sunlight. Ozone is also called smog.
The other is particle pollution, which looks at all the specs of dust,
soot and aerosols that are in the air.
Mon County received an “F” for its ozone grade because there were 13
orange ozone days over a three-year period. This means the air quality
can be unhealthy for sensitive populations on these days.
The county received a “C” for particle pollution over 24 hours. There
were five orange days over a threeyear period in that category.
The color-coded system for air quality was designed by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).The scale ranges from green for
good to purple for very unhealthy. Orange is in the middle.
The data for the State of the Air report came from the EPA’s Air
Quality System database.
Director of Environmental Health for the mid-Atlantic region of the
American Lung Association
Kevin Stewart said Mon County just missed a passing grade for ozone.
“It’s not a bad ‘F’,” Stewart said.
Mon County had 13 days, but it wasn’t as high as other counties such as
Cabell, which had 39, Stewart said.
The air pollution can be dangerous for certain populations, Kotcon
said. Some of the at-risk groups include the elderly, people with
asthma and people with diabetes, according to the Lung Association.
Much of the pollution in Mon County’s air comes from the coal-fired
power plants, Kotcon said. But, there is some added by car exhaust.
Individuals can help improve air quality in a couple of different ways,
Kotcon said. One way is to reduce energy usage and the other is to urge
lawmakers to strengthen regulations.
If there are high ozone days, Stewart said individuals might choose to
avoid strenuous outdoor activities if they are part of an at-risk group.