HARTFORD, Conn. — Earth Day is this Saturday, and for the 24th year in a row, the American Lung Association is out with its “State of the Air” report.
The results are mixed for Connecticut, but overall it reflects that in this part of the country, our air quality can be largely affected by what is spewed to our west and south.
"Fairfield County is the only county (of the 25 closely monitored) in the eastern half of the country that is especially bad for ozone pollution," Ruth Canovi, the Advocacy Director for the American Lung Association in Connecticut, told FOX61.
Fairfield County received an F for high ozone days. Hartford County received a C.
Connecticut and New England are sometimes referred to as the "tailpipe" of the nation, as particles and pollution to our southwest blow their way here in the prevailing wind.
There have been big improvements in overall air quality since the passage of the Clean Air Act in the 1970s.
“Across the nation, we are seeing ozone pollution improving, thanks in big part to the success of the Clean Air Act, however, here in Connecticut we have not seen the same improvements. There is clearly more work to do,” said Ruth Canovi, Director of Advocacy for the Lung Association in Connecticut.
Compared to the 2022 report, the Hartford metro area experienced more unhealthy days of high ozone in this year’s report. It made it onto the top 25 list for cities with the highest ozone levels, ranking at 25, worse than last year's spot at 36.
One of the drivers of higher pollution levels, according to Canovi, is western wildfires and their smoke, which sometimes make it into our skies.
"I often think of a day that I was outside checking my mail, and a neighbor was driving around the area trying to figure out the source of the smell. I said I think it’s from the wildfires, there’s not a fire in the area," Canovi said. Indeed, in recent years, wildfire smoke in the western United States and Canada has been carried by the jetstream to the northeast.
Ryan Breton is a meteorologist at FOX61 News. He can be reached at rbreton@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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