Environmental Matters in the Commonwealth of Kentucky

The American Lung Association released its 2007 “State of the Air” report, which includes good news and bad news about the state of America’s air quality.  The report ranked cities most affected by three types of pollution: short-term particle pollution, year-round particle pollution and ozone pollution.  Pittsburgh moved to the top of the list of cities most polluted by short-term levels of particle pollution, a deadly cocktail of ash, soot, diesel exhaust, chemicals, metals and aerosols that can spike dangerously for hours to weeks on end. Pittsburgh also ranks second on the list of cities with the most year-round particle pollution while Los Angeles again claims the first spot this year.  Cheyenne, Wyo., has the cleanest air according to the report.  The American Lung Association used the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 1997 standard for ozone levels rather than the new tighter standard announced on March 12, 2008.  You can download the report at http://www.stateoftheair.org/.