New Air Quality Report Finds Denvers Year-Round Particle Pollution Worsened, Ozone Pollution Improved

The American Lung Association’s 2018 “State of the Air” report found Denver has earned mixed grades for the nation’s most widespread air pollutants. Compared to the 2017 report, Denver has seen an increase in year-round particle pollution.

“The 2018 ‘State of the Air’ report finds that unhealthful levels of year-round particle pollution in Denver put our citizens at risk for premature death and other serious health effects such as asthma attacks and greater difficulty breathing for those living with a lung disease like COPD. Such high levels of year-round particle pollution mean our citizens also face an increased risk for lung cancer,” said Ellen Penrod, executive director of the Lung Association in Colorado. “Across the nation, the report found continued improvement in air quality, but still, more than four in 10 Americans – 133.9 million – live in counties that have unhealthful levels of either ozone or particle pollution, where their health is at risk.”

The trends reported in this year’s report, which covers data collected by states, cities, counties, tribes and federal agencies in 2014-2016, reflect the ongoing challenges to reduce each pollutant in the changing political and outdoor climate.

“We can and should do more to save lives,” Penrod said. “The Lung Association in Colorado calls on our members of Congress to defend the Clean Air Act, currently under threat from those who want to weaken this effective public health law. We also call on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to implement and enforce the law instead of trying to roll back major safeguards like the Clean Power Plan and cleaner cars, both steps that help us fight climate change and reduce air pollution.” 

Each year the “State of the Air” provides a report card on the two most widespread outdoor air pollutants, ozone pollution, also known as smog, and particle pollution, also called soot. The report analyzes particle pollution in two ways: through average annual particle pollution levels and short-term spikes in particle pollution. Both ozone and particle pollution are dangerous to public health and can increase the risk of premature death and other serious health effects such as lung cancer, asthma attacks, cardiovascular damage, and developmental and reproductive harm.

Ozone Pollution in Denver
Compared to the 2017 report, Denver experienced fewer unhealthy days of high ozone in this year’s report. In fact, Denver reported its fewest unhealthy ozone days ever, although still too many more than are safe from this harmful pollutant.

“Ozone especially harms children, older adults and those with asthma and other lung diseases,” said  Penrod. “When older adults or children with asthma breathe ozone-polluted air, too often they end up in the doctor’s office, the hospital or the emergency room. Ozone can even shorten life itself.”

This report documents how warmer temperatures brought by climate change make ozone more likely to form and harder to clean up. This year’s report showed that ozone levels increased in most cities nationwide, in large part due to warmer temperatures in 2016, the second hottest year on record in the U.S. Over the past decades, ozone pollution has decreased nationwide because the nation has cleaned up major sources of the emissions that create ozone, especially coal-fired power plants and vehicles.

Particle Pollution in Denver
The 2018 report also found year-round particle pollution levels slightly higher than the 2017 report. However the city remains well below the national standard.

“Particle pollution is made of soot or tiny particles that come from coal-fired power plants, diesel emissions, wildfires and wood-burning devices. These particles are so small that they can lodge deep in the lungs and trigger asthma attacks, heart attacks and strokes, and can even be lethal,” said Penrod. “Year-round particle pollution levels have dropped thanks to the cleanup of coal-fired power plants and the retirement of old, dirty diesel engines.”

“State of the Air” 2018 also tracked short-term spikes in particle pollution, as these can be extremely dangerous and even lethal. The report found that Denver has fewer days when short-term particle pollution has reached unhealthy levels in 2014-2016. This marks a significant improvement since the last report’s continues a trend toward fewer short-term spikes in particle pollution in Denver. 

While the report examined data from 2014-2016, this 19th annual report provides online information on air pollution trends back to the first report covering 1996-1998. Learn more about Denver rankings, as well as air quality across Colorado and the nation, in the 2018 “State of the Air” report at Lung.org/sota. For media interested in speaking with an expert about lung health and healthy air, and threats to air quality, contact James Martinez at [email protected]  or 312-445-2501.