Burlington-South Burlington-Barre, VT has once again been recognized for its clean air quality, specifically in terms of ozone pollution, according to the American Lung Association's 25th Annual "State of the Air" report released today.
"In the 25 years that the American Lung Association has been doing our 'State of the Air' report, we have seen incredible improvement in the nation’s air quality. Unfortunately, more than 131 million people still live in places with unhealthy levels of air pollution, and Vermont still has work to do," said Trevor Summerfield, Director of Advocacy for the American Lung Association.
The report highlighted that the Burlington-South Burlington-Barre, VT metro area ranked among the cleanest cities in the nation for ozone pollution, with Chittenden County, Vermont receiving an A grade for having 0 unhealthy days per year. This marks the area's 10th consecutive year of achieving this recognition.
In terms of particle pollution, the report revealed that the Burlington-South Burlington-Barre, VT metro area ranked 124th worst in the nation for short-term particle pollution, with Chittenden County, Vermont receiving a B grade for having an average of 0.3 unhealthy days per year. However, for the year-round average level of particle pollution, Chittenden County received a passing grade for pollution levels below the federal standard.
The report emphasized the importance of addressing air pollution, stating that both ozone and particle pollution can have serious health effects, including premature death, asthma attacks, heart attacks, and lung cancer. The Lung Association is urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set stronger national limits on ozone pollution to further improve air quality across the country.
The report also highlighted the disproportionate impact of air pollution on communities of color, noting that individuals in these communities are more likely to be living with chronic conditions that make them vulnerable to air pollution.
In response to the findings, the EPA recently finalized new air pollution rules aimed at cleaning up particle pollution and addressing climate change. The Lung Association encourages people to sign a petition calling for stronger national limits on ozone pollution to protect public health and drive cleanup efforts nationwide.
For more information and to view the full report results, visit Lung.org/SOTA.
