Which Central IL counties have the cleanest air?
CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) — Air pollution is a major problem in the U.S. and one advocacy group has ranked Illinois cities and counties for the cleanest air.
The American Lung Association released its annual State of Air report for 2024 on Wednesday, studying two common pollutants in the air — ozone levels and particle levels– across the United States. The organization used data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 2020 to 2022 for the report.
They found that 39% of Americans live in an area with at least one unhealthy levels of air pollution of short-term particle pollution, year-round particle pollution and ozone pollution.
“We have seen impressive progress in cleaning up air pollution over the last 25 years, thanks in large part to the Clean Air Act,” Harold Wimmer, the President and CEO of the American Lung Association, said. “However, when we started this report, our team never imagined that 25 years in the future, more than 130 million people would still be breathing unhealthy air.”
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The report asks for all units of American government do their part addressing climate change and air pollution.
“Climate change is causing more dangerous air pollution,” Wimmer added. “Every day that there are unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution means that someone – a child, grandparent, uncle or mother – struggles to breathe. We must do more to ensure everyone has clean air.”
Pregnant people, young children and people over 65, as well as people with existing lung diseases and people who work outside are more susceptible to air pollution.
Ozone Levels
The American Lung Association also studied the ozone layers at ground level. The ALA notes that inhaling ozone can cause shortness of breath, trigger coughing and asthma attacks and may shorten life.
Of the 23 counties in Illinois the ALA analyzed, three got A ratings, including Effingham County. Macon, Peoria and Macoupin Counties got B ratings, while Sangamon, Champaign and McLean Counties all got C ratings.
Chicago was ranked as the #17 worst metropolitan area in the country for Ozone pollution in the report.
Researchers note that 2.4 million less people live in areas with unhealthy ozone pollution compared to last year’s report.
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Particle Pollution
The ALA measures particles and soot in the air. Those particles are often created by wildfires, wood-burning stoves, coal-fired power plants, and diesel engines.
After studying data for 24 hour particle pollution for 17 counties, the cleanest county in Central Illinois was Champaign County, with an A rating. Sangamon, McLean and Peoria County all earned B ratings, while Macon County received a C rating.
The study also ranked each county on a pass/fail system for annual particle pollution. Sangamon County and Champaign County received a passing grade, while Macon County received a “fail” grade.
The Chicago area was found to be the #22 worst place in the country for annual particle pollution, while Champaign-Urbana was listed as one of the cleanest places in terms of short-term particle pollution.
The full State of Air 2024 report can be found on the ALA’s website.
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