The American Lung Association has given Pittsburgh an F grade in their latest air quality report.
The city is in the top 12 for smog and top 16 for soot, which is worse than last year's report.
On the Big K Morning Show, the Lung Association's Kevin Stewart attributed some of the results to massive Canadian wildfires in 2023:
“At the same time, that is partly due to the fact that the climate is changing, getting warmer and drier in certainly places, making those fires more likely,” said Stewart.
Stevens went to call for reduced emissions to lessen the problem.
The report says the short-term risks of poor air quality include infant mortality, hospital admissions, cardiovascular disease and asthma attacks among children.
But, the Executive Director of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, Rich Fitzgerald says while there have been a lot of improvements, the air quality in this region continues to be a challenge.
“We of course want to have industry, with the jobs that come about, but you always want to make sure the environment is good for quality of life and all the other issues,” said Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald says the Canadian wildfires from a couple of years back also had a negative impact on our air due to our topography.