Air quality in the Pittsburgh area is the subject of a scathing report from the American Lung Association.
Released Wednesday, the report says air quality in the Pittsburgh Metro Area continues to rank among the worst in the country for two of three measured categories, despite the area improving in all three categories from last year.
Allegheny County is the most polluted county in the metro, and one of 14 counties in the nation to have failing grades in all three categories.
“This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Clean Air Act, which has been responsible for dramatic improvements in air quality. However, Pittsburgh area residents continue to breathe some of the most unhealthy air in the country, driven by emissions from vehicles and industrial sources, both locally generated as well as from upwind, placing their health and lives at risk,” said American Lung Association Director of Environmental Health Kevin Stewart.
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The Allegheny County Health Department responded in a statement, pointing to improvements in air quality and a number of measures in place to continue that improvement.
Deputy Director of Environmental Health Jim Kelly says, “We all want clean air, no matter where we live, and the Allegheny County Health Department works tirelessly to improve air quality throughout the county and for every resident."
He also adds that the county realizes there's more work to be done.
"While we have made great strides with our efforts to improve air quality, we also understand that work remains, particularly in the Mon Valley. As such, the ACHD will continue to be aggressive with enforcement, transparent with our data and innovative with our policies.”
In addition, Kelly says the data used in the report is not current and is limited since it bases the entire region off of the county's highest reading monitor, the Liberty monitor.
He says the county's other monitors are not included in the report and that data from those monitors show that they meet World Health Organization standards.
Read the report from the American Lung Association here.