In the most recent annual “State of the Air” report, the American Lung Association has once again cherry-picked air quality data to rate Allegheny County’s air among the worst in the U.S. Our area was graded “F” for ozone and “fail” for particle pollution (April 24, “Failing Grades for Air Quality”). As in the past, the ALA reaches its rating conclusions in a completely biased and non-scientific way.

For ozone, the report bases its ratings on the number of “high ozone days” exceeding the national standard. For Allegheny County, the report ignores that, for 2017, all but one of those days (there were a total of eight days that exceeded the standard in 2017) were measured at a single site. This site, in South Fayette, is located upwind of most air emission sources in the county, so most likely it represents imported ozone emissions, rather than home-grown. 

The ALA ignores that there are two other ozone monitoring sites maintained by the Allegheny County Health Department. One site stayed within the national standard all year; the other exceeded the standard on only one day, and then it was by one-one thousandth of one part per million.

For annual average particulate pollution, the ALA rating is based on what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calls the “design value” for our county. What the ALA doesn’t report is that, for Allegheny County in 2017, the “value” was based entirely on a single monitoring site, even though there are seven other sites in the county that met the annual standard. In effect, ALA has rated the entire county based on the worst results at only one of eight sites.

It’s ironic that the alarmist ALA report received a front-page headline in the PG while the publication of the actual 2018 air quality data for the county was buried as a short brief on May 1 on page B-2: “Lowest Level of Specific Pollution Type Recorded.”

Good news doesn’t get as much attention as bad news. By the way, the 2018 ACHD report documents that, for the first time, all fine particulate monitors in the county were within the standard. By any measure, air quality has been improving in the county, not declining. No reason to slow progress toward cleaner air but also not worth an “F” grade.

Joe Duckett
West View
The writer is an air quality engineer.

First Published: May 12, 2019, 4:00 a.m.