American Lung Association says air pollution is down in West Virginia

In many respects, West Virginia is looking much better, said Kevin Stewart, director of environmental health at the American Lung Association.

“For 12 years in a row, West Virginia has gotten an A grade for ‘No Bad Air Days’ for ozone smog,” he said. “This also stands for getting no air pollution days in excess of the standard daily measure of particle pollution levels. There may be a few areas that will go over, but not that many.”

This annual report originally started as a way to measure how much pollution is in the air, Van Cleave said.

“We know that thanks to things such as the Clean Air Act,” she said. “We’ve seen an incremental increase over time in the air quality that people in our country are breathing. That means we are breathing healthier, fresher air than we were 25 years ago.”

The decrease in pollution can be traced back to many different factors, Stewart said. “The first one being highway vehicles are much cleaner,” he said. “It also helps that diesel vehicles are using cleaner fuel. Passenger vehicles are now being made to reduce the amount of air pollution that they are creating. We are also seeing not just in West Virginia, but around the nation, more electric cars being used.”

The Clean Air Act has also helped to quell any rise in pollution from factories and power plants, Stewart said.

“Power plants are also being improved upon,” he said. “Due to the Clean Air Act, power plants are now required to switch from coal burning to the burning of natural gas, which in turn has helped cut down the amount of pollution in the air as a whole.”

But there has been a rise in smoke pollution, Stewart said.

“However, there are some new levels of smoke pollution in the air,” he said. “This is due to all of the wildfires happening in the past few years. These wildfires have caused more smoke particles to come into the air. Some of the smoke has even been making its way all the way over to the East Coast.”

Residents across the nation could suffer health problems from air pollution, Van Cleave said.

“This can really affect people who suffer from respiratory problems,” she said. “For example, those with COPD, asthma or even being a younger person who breathes at a faster rate than an adult.”

Dr. Frederick Alcantara from WVU Medicine said pollution particles can have adverse effects on the lungs.

“Air pollution increases the amount of ozone and particulate matter in the layer of air that we breathe,” he said. “Particulates are irritating to lung tissue and can cause them to become inflamed and damaged and can initiate changes in those cells that can kill them or cause them to become cancerous.”

Remember fire safety and avoid open flames at all costs, Alcantara said.

“Observe fire safety precautions at, and outside of work, especially in parks where fires may be accidentally started and quickly escalate out of control,” he said. “When possible, avoid areas where there is a known release of pollutants in the air.”

The use of vapes or smoking also can cause damage to the lungs, Alcantara said.

“Attempt to cut down and/or stop smoking/vaping. Don’t forget second-hand smoke exposure as well,” he said. “Remember that chemicals in vaping cartridges can be very irritating to the lungs despite their pleasant smell.”