Particle pollution is a mixture of tiny particles and liquid droplets made up of components such as acids, metals, organic chemicals and soil and dust that can affect the heart and lungs when inhaled and lead to health problems.
But Brian Huxtable, an air pollution control specialist, said the Dayton region’s air quality regularly meets the ever-tightening standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He doesn’t believe the region has some of the worst air pollution in the country.
“Our (fine particle) levels are very low, and we would disagree with that ranking,” said Huxtable, with the Regional Air Pollution Control Agency that serves Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery and Preble counties. “We meet EPA health-based air quality standards.”
In keeping with the national trend, Dayton’s year-round particle pollution continued to improve between 2008 and 2010 compared to the preceding three-year period, according to the State of the Air report.
The improving air quality across the nation is linked to tighter environmental standards under the Clean Air Act that cleaned up power plants, and the fact that cars and trucks today are emitting far less pollutants than they have in the past, the report said.
Soot poses the greatest risk to “infants, children, older adults, anyone with lung diseases like asthma, people with heart disease or diabetes, people with low incomes and anyone who works or exercises outdoors,” according to the State of the Air report.
But the Dayton metro area ranked in the top 20 for year-round soot, along with Cincinnati (No. 8) and Cleveland (No. 14), the report said.
Charles D. Connor, American Lung Association President and CEO, said the report shows the country is “making real and steady progress in cutting dangerous pollution from the air we breathe.”
He credits the improvements to “the ongoing protection of the Clean Air Act. But despite these improvements, America’s air quality standards are woefully outdated, and unhealthy levels of air pollution still exist across the nation, putting the health of millions of Americans at stake.”
Huxtable agrees that Dayton’s air is improving, but he said some of the report’s other findings do not seem correct. He said the report is based on old data that may not accurately reflect the current state of the region’s air quality.
He said also many parts of the country lack monitoring systems that measure the quality of the air, so the report is unable to accurately estimate those pollution levels.
“Maybe there are (more) cities that are worse but don’t have monitors in those areas,” he said.
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