Queens air quality rates a D - barely

The American Lung Association’s (ALA) “State of the Air 2007” report shows that Queens only narrowly passes air quality levels with a D grade.
The report examines particle pollution, which is soot, and ozone population, which is fog. This year marked slight improvement for the levels in Queens, which failed the report last year.
The report “uses air quality measurements made by state and local agencies and reported to EPA for the years 2003 through 2005” to give grades “based on how often air quality levels reach unhealthful amounts under EPA’s Air Quality Index for short-term levels of particle pollution and ozone.”
“We need immediate action to decrease our exposure to deadly particle pollution,” said ALA of the City of New York President and Chief Executive Officer Louise Vetter.
“This means cleaning up dirty power plants while decreasing energy demand, reducing home heating oil emissions and funding diesel retrofits for trucks and buses, as well as promoting strong federal standards for diesel marine vessels and locomotives. The reality is that our lungs simply weren’t made to breathe the levels of pollution New Yorkers are forced to inhale,” Vetter said.
According to the ALA, the eight million people living in the five boroughs are at risk for various health problems due to the pollution. Among them are heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer and asthma attacks.
The organization also points out that those most susceptible are children, the elderly and those with cardiovascular disease.
One way in which New York City might be able to improve its standings is through Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s PlaNYC30. The program’s goal is to have reduced the amount of “particulate matter” by 40 percent by the year 2030.
“PlaNYC30 has the potential to take New York City from the top of the list of most polluted cities to the top of the list of cleanest, healthiest cities,” Vetter said. “By slashing particle pollution, this plan can significantly reduce the toll that poor air takes on the more than two million New York City residents living with respiratory disease.”
The ALA recommends people do the following in order to help keep their air cleaner.