August 28, 2003

American Lung Association of New York
Environmental Advocates of New York
NYPIRG (New York Public Interest Research Group)

2002 Worst Smog Season in Recent Years,
Outlook Bleak Without Decline In Pollution Levels
Report Underscores Health Threat of White House Air Pollution Plan in New York

Albany, NY - Smog monitors in 41 states and the District of Columbia recorded unhealthy levels of air pollution on nearly 9,000 occasions in 2002, making it one of the smoggiest seasons in recent years, according to Danger in the Air: Unhealthy Levels of Smog in 2002, a new Clear the Air report released today by NYPIRG, American Lung Association of New York, and Environmental Advocates of New York. Air quality monitors in New York exceeded the national health standard for ozone 290 times, a 103 percent increase over 2001. This report comes as the Bush administration pushes for a vote on its plan to allow power plants to pump millions more tons of smog-forming pollutants into the air.

“Smog triggers asthma attacks, sends hundreds of thousands of Americans to emergency rooms each summer, and keeps kids from playing outdoors on hot days,” said Rhonda Belluso, National Environmental Advocate for NYPIRG. “But the Bush administration wants to let power plants and other smokestacks spew even more dangerous pollution into our skies,” she continued.

Ground-level ozone or “smog” is formed when pollution from power plants, cars, trucks, and other sources bakes in the heat and sun. Even relatively low levels of ozone can affect healthy people’s ability to breathe, but children, senior citizens, and people with respiratory diseases are particularly vulnerable to the health effects of ozone, which include asthma attacks, hospital visits for respiratory problems, and irreversible lung damage. In New York State, there are annually 510,000 asthma attacks, 12,300 emergency room visits for respiratory problems, and 1,200 of those for asthma alone. Recent studies link ozone to the onset of asthma as well as to mortality from strokes, a leading cause of death in the U.S.

“We can’t depend on the weather to protect Americans from diseases caused by breathing polluted air,” said Rhonda Belluso. “We may have gotten lucky this summer because of the break from the summer heat, but smog levels are still unacceptably high and will rise again unless we clean up old, dirty power plants and other pollution sources,” she continued.

“On reading this report, it may be disturbing and yet surprising to many people that bad air is not a problem only in New York City,” explained Peter Iwanowicz, Director of Environmental Health for the American Lung Association of New York State. “In fact, the air pollution recorded in 2002 outside of Poughkeepsie ranks in within the top ten areas in the country where ozone levels were highest."

Danger in the Air: Unhealthy Levels of Smog in 2002 is the fourth annual compilation of data from the nation’s network of more than 1,000 ozone monitors. Key findings include the following:

• 2002 was the worst smog season for which we have data (1998-present; see bar graph below).
• New York ranks 9th among all states in the nation for the most frequent exposure to unhealthy levels of ozone.
• Nationally, there was a 90 percent increase in exceedances of the national health standard for ozone from 2001 to 2002. But in New York it was even worse. During the same time period, the number of exceedances increased by 103 percent.

The report also includes a limited amount of preliminary data for 2003, which has been a relatively mild and wet summer. Key findings based on preliminary data through July 2003 for 21 states and the District of Columbia include the following:

• Twenty of the 21 states and the District of Columbia exceeded the national health standard for ozone 1,148 times through the end of July 2003 compared with a total of 3,961 times in those states during the entire 2002 ozone season, making for a less smoggy season overall.
• However, Colorado is having its worst smog season in recent years, and Florida and Louisiana already have exceeded the national health standard for ozone on more occasions than in all of 2002.

“We can’t rely on cool weather to limit or exposure to dirty air,” said Belluso. “But we can control the amount of pollution in the air. Pollution control technologies could cut emissions to a tiny fraction of current levels, but the Bush administration is allowing polluters to make the problem even worse.

To reduce this avoidable yet pervasive health threat, the groups called on all members of New York’s Congressional delegation to reject the Bush administration’s so-called “Clear Skies” bill, which would allow power plants to release more than one and a half times more smog-forming nitrogen oxides into our air from 2010 to 2018 compared to the timely enforcement of current law.

“The data in this report emphasize how crucial the Clean Air Act is to New Yorkers. Our leaders in Congress should oppose the White House’s attempt to weaken the law,” said Christine Vanderlan, Environmental Advocates of New York. “They should support the Clean Smokestacks Act, the comprehensive plan for cleaning up power plants that was introduced by Rep. Boehlert.”

In addition, the report recommends that policymakers:

• Adopt a comprehensive new program to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, and mercury from power plants.
• Abandon regulatory efforts designed to weaken the application of New Source Review, a critical clean air enforcement program that requires industrial facilities to install modern pollution controls when they make other major modifications that increase emissions.
• Ensure timely designation of 8-hour ozone nonattainment areas.
• Oppose efforts to delay or weaken Clean Air Act requirements that apply to ozone nonattainment areas.
• Adopt fuel and emission standards for “non-road” diesel construction, farming, and industrial equipment, as well as trains and ships, to reduce emissions from these vehicles and engines by at least 90 percent.