Ozone pollution put Phoenix among the most-polluted cities, new report shows

High ozone levels over the past three years made the air over metro Phoenix the fifth-worst in the nation for that pollutant, according to the American Lung Association’s 2023 State of the Air Report. The desert metro area ranked ninth-highest for annual particle pollution and 16th-highest for short-term, or 24-hour, particle pollution.

Dust, smoke, and ozone are the leading air pollutants in Maricopa County nearly year-round. The winter months see an uptick in PM2.5 (smoke) and PM10 (dust particles), while the heat of summer raises ozone pollution levels.

Dust and smoke are visible to the naked eye, but the particulates are actually so small — PM2.5 pollutants are 2.5 micrometers or smaller — that they can easily be inhaled, getting deep into lungs and bloodstream.

Smoke particulates are so minuscule that the average size of a single human hair is 30 times larger than one particle. Ozone cannot be seen or smelled and can be fatal, which is one of the main reasons the Lung Association issues its annual air quality report card.

“Both ozone and particle pollution can cause premature death and other serious health effects such as asthma attacks, cardiovascular damage, and developmental and reproductive harm,” said JoAnna Strother, senior director of advocacy for the American Lung Association in Arizona.

“Particle pollution can also cause lung cancer," she added. "To ensure a healthy future for Arizonans and visitors to our great state, we must continue our work together to improve air quality.”

Poor air quality affects health and standard of living

California cities experienced some of the most polluted air, according to the Lung Association report. For ozone, Los Angeles ranked first, followed by Visalia, Bakersfield and Fresno. Bakersfield was rated as the worst for year-round and 24-hour particle pollution, the report found.

Those cities are similar to metro Phoenix, surrounded by busy freeways, construction zones and agricultural fields, all of which contribute to dust and ozone throughout the year.

Whether you can see the harmful pollutants or not, they are there and they pose serious risks to personal health.

Breathing in microscopic pollutants sends them deep into the lung tissue. This aggravates the lining of the lung, creating inflammation, and causing serious issues for those with heart conditions, existing chronic lung diseases and asthmatics, said Barbara Burkholder, a board member of the Arizona Asthma Coalition.

Short-term exposure can exacerbate existing lung diseases and trigger asthma attacks and other respiratory issues like bronchitis, COPD, tuberculosis and more. The pollutants are especially dangerous for children and young people whose lungs are still developing.

Long-term exposure to fine particulate matter can have lifelong health ramifications, such as “increased respiratory illnesses, metabolic disorders, nervous system issues, reproductive issues (including reduced male and female fertility and poor birth outcomes), cancer and also increased cardiovascular mortality,” according to the Lung Association.

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Promising outlook for Maricopa County air quality

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index Report, Maricopa County experienced six "very unhealthy" days, 17 "unhealthy" days, 73 days that were "unhealthy for sensitive groups," and only 43 "good" days in 2022. The majority of days — 273 — in 2022 were graded as "moderate."

EPA data revealed that 2023 showed remarkable progress in air quality. There were no "very unhealthy" days, and only seven "unhealthy days." Again, the majority of the year, 257 days, was sitting with "moderate" air quality, but sensitive groups only had 62 extra days to worry about.

Maricopa County Air Quality Department has several programs and initiatives, such as its annual "Burn Cleaner, Burn Better" campaign, a fireplace retrofit program and a travel reduction program, along with others. Each initiative aims to educate the public about the potential harms of air pollutants and encourage residents to do their part in improving air quality.

To help keep track of the air quality in Maricopa County, the Air Quality Department offers an app to check daily air quality, get alerts for no-burn days and more. The free app is called Clean Air and can be used by both iPhone and Android users.

To check current ozone levels near you, visit the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality’s air quality index online at https://azdeq.gov/forecast/phoenix.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix ranks high nationally in ozone pollution