Lehigh Valley breathing (slightly) better air, new report on pollution shows [Video]

Findings in the report available at lung.org reflect:

Ground-level Ozone Pollution in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro area: The “State of the Air” report looked at levels of ozone “smog,” the air pollutant affecting the largest number of people in the United States. The Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro area ranked 79th-worst in the nation for ozone pollution. The ranking was based on the area’s worst county’s average number of unhealthy days — 1 day per year, a C grade, in Northampton County. This was better than the area’s ranking in last year’s report of 65th-worst, with 1.3 days per year, also a C grade.

Particle Pollution in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton metro area: The report tracked short-term spikes in particle pollution, which can be extremely dangerous and even deadly. The Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro area ranked 79th-worst in the nation for short-term particle pollution. The ranking was based on the area’s worst county’s average number of unhealthy days — 1.3 days per year, …