Some of the most polluted air in the country is being breathed in Santa Clara County, according to a just released American Lung Association report.
The county received a “D” for high ozone levels, an “F” for short-term particle pollution and a “passing grade” for year-round particle pollution levels, association officials said last week.
The 63-page “2008 State of the Air” report ranked 700 counties nationwide, assessing air quality levels from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality System database. The findings cover 2004 through 2006.
Santa Clara County ranked 19th out of the 25 counties most polluted by short-term particle pollution, measuring the number of days the county’s air was in the unhealthful range for a 24-hour period or longer.
Particle pollution contributes to stroke, lung cancer, asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema and cardiovascular disease, said Dr. Tony Gerber, a pulmonary specialist and American Lung Association volunteer.
Ozone, a gas, has smog as its primary ingredient. It is highly damaging to lung tissue, according to the report. A 2005 study on ozone’s effect on lung function found that college freshmen who were lifelong residents of Los Angeles or the San Francisco Bay Area had decreased lung function due to their long-term exposure to elevated ozone levels, the report noted.
In Santa Clara County, the main sources of particle pollution are generated locally from vehicles and trucks, and also by drift from other regions, association officials said during a press conference.
Ozone also is a regional problem and travels from other areas, including refineries, officials said.
Residents most at risk are children under 18, adults 65 and older and people with chronic lung and cardiac conditions. Persons with diabetes are also at increased risk due to damage that particle pollution can cause to their cardiovascular systems, according to the report.
In Santa Clara County, approximately 1.75 million people with medical conditions are at risk due to exposure to short-term particle pollution, the report stated.
Where one lives also increases risk. Persons residing near freeways have a higher risk of lung-related disease and aggravation of existing conditions due to their exposure to air pollutants, according to the report.
San Mateo better off
As a whole, San Mateo County ranked among the cleanest counties for ozone pollution, according to the Lung Association report. The county rated an “A” for its low number of high-ozone days from 2004 to 2006.
San Mateo County rated a “B” for its particle-pollution days, with only one day in the orange zone and one day in the red zone, compared to 39 days in the orange zone for Santa Clara County, according to the report. Orange, red and purple zones are indicators of the danger levels of air pollutants for a 24-hour period.
In all, 26 of California’s 52 counties with air-quality monitoring stations received failing grades for either high ozone or particle- pollution days, according to the report, and 19 counties received “A” grades for either ozone or particle-pollution days. Some counties received “A” grades in one category, but “F” grades in the other.
“We see improvements in some areas of the state, but the levels of ozone and particle pollution in California remain dangerously high; improvements do not mean the problem is solved,” said Gwendolyn Young, board chair of the American Lung Association of California.
Bills endorsed
The Association of California is urging the adoption of State Sen. Alan Lowenthal’s (D-Long Beach) SB974, the Port Investment Bill, to raise container fees at ports to provide ongoing funds to reduce diesel emissions at ports. Port- and freight-transport emissions could potentially produce more diesel soot than all passenger vehicles, off-road and stationary sources combined, according to the association.
Young said Congress must keep the Clean Air Act intact — given proposed changes to diminish it — and California must address diesel pollution in the state.
The association is urging the California Air Resources Board to develop and adopt a strong on-road diesel truck and bus rule this year to dramatically reduce diesel soot. More than 50 products are on the market to reduce fuel consumption and pollutants.
Diesel trucks are the largest source of diesel particulate pollution in the state, responsible for 39 percent of diesel particulates and 40 percent of nitrogen oxide pollution from diesel sources.
The association is pushing for more funds to supplement existing Proposition 1B bond funds to replace and retrofit aging school buses. Children traveling on school buses are exposed to two to three times higher levels of soot than in ambient areas, according to association officials.
Worst in state
The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside region ranked as the most polluted area in the state for year-round particle pollution and high ozone levels. But Pittsburgh, Pa., ranked tops for short-term particle pollution — for the first time knocking a California city off the top spot.
Two cities ranked at the top of the cleanest cities in the United States: Fargo, N.D. and Salinas. Both cities recorded no unhealthy ozone- or particle-pollution days, and had some of the lowest annual levels of particle pollution overall.
For more information, call the American Lung Association at (800) 586-4872 or visit www.californialung.org.
Sue Dremann is a staff writer at the Palo Alto Weekly, the Voice’s sister paper.
