NYC area has the dirtiest air in the U.S. east of Texas, report says
The Tri-State Area has the dirtiest air in the United States east of Texas, according to The American Lung Association's newly released "State of the Air" report.
The New York City-Newark region ranked 12th worst for ozone out of 226 metropolitan areas across the country.
Ozone in NYC area
According to the report, locally, we breathe less fine particle pollution or soot, but more ozone or smog.
"The whole New York metro area is being exposed to failing levels of ozone," said Michael Seilback, assistant vice president for nationwide advocacy with The American Lung Association.
Ozone gets created when the sun reacts with pollution.
"Fairfield County in Connecticut is actually the dirtiest county on the entire East Coast when it comes to ozone," Seilback said.
In New Jersey, the worst is Gloucester County, and in New York, it's Suffolk County.
"Air pollution doesn't just settle where it's created. It can travel, you know, literally hundreds of miles," Seilback said.
We lived that experience in June 2023, when smoke from Canadian wildfires delivered orange skies and the worst air quality in the world.
Poor air quality's impact on kids
The report also found more than 1.1 million children in New York state and more than 700,000 in New Jersey breathe unhealthy air.
Dr. Charles Shieh, with Holy Name Medical Center, says on days with poor air quality, emergency room visits increase.
"Pollution is a very powerful irritant on the lungs," he said. "Some have likened that to a sunburn on the lungs ... It can lead to other diseases, not just in the moment, like asthma attack, but other respiratory diseases down the road."
Shieh said children are at heightened risk, as their lungs are still developing. He suggests parents take note of air quality daily.
"May need to adjust their schedules," he said.
The good news is the air we breathe is much cleaner than it was just two decades ago, before the Environmental Protection Agency reduced the sulfur content of gasoline.
"We need to make sure that we continue on that track," Seilback said.