Hartford-East Hartford, CT metro area Ranked 2nd Worst in the Northeast for Ozone Pollution, while Fairfield County Continues to have the Worst Ozone on the East Coast, According to the 25th Annual ‘S

Hartford-East Hartford, CT metro area was named 28th most polluted in the nation for ozone pollution and 2nd worst in the Northeast, according to the American Lung Association’s 2024 “State of the Air” report, which was released today. The report also found that the metro area ranked 4th worst in the Northeast for year-round particle pollution.  Of the 8 counties measured for ozone, 4 earned failing grades, and 3 earned Cs. Fairfield, Connecticut, was once again found to be not only the worst county in the New York-Newark metro area for both ozone and short-term particle pollution but also the county with the worst ozone, anywhere east of Texas. 

The Lung Association’s 25th annual “State of the Air” report grades exposure to unhealthy levels of ground-level ozone air pollution, annual particle pollution and short-term spikes in particle pollution over a three-year period. This year’s report includes air quality data from 2020-2022 and is updated to reflect the new annual particle pollution standard that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized in February.

“In the 25 years that the American Lung Association has been doing our ‘State of the Air’ report, we have seen incredible improvement in the nation’s air quality. Unfortunately, more than 131 million people still live in places with unhealthy levels of air pollution, and Connecticut still has work to do,” said Ruth Canovi, Director of Advocacy for the American Lung Association. “Climate change is making air pollution more likely to form and more difficult to clean up; there are critical actions we can and must take to improve air quality.  We call on the CT General Assembly to pass laws this session helping to address climate change, reduce transportation pollution and increase access to renewable energy.  We also urge EPA to set long-overdue stronger national limits on ozone pollution.”

Ground-level Ozone Pollution in the Hartford-East Hartford, CT 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 Hartford-East Hartford, CT metro area ranked 28th worst in the nation for ozone pollution. The ranking was based on the area’s worst county’s average number of unhealthy days—6.5 days per year, an F grade, in Middlesex County, Connecticut. This was better than the area's ranking in last year's report of 25th worst, with 7 days per year, an F grade.  

Particle Pollution in the Hartford-East Hartford, CT metro area: 
The report also tracked short-term spikes in particle pollution, which can be extremely dangerous and even deadly. The Hartford-East Hartford, CT metro area ranked 105th 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—0.7 days per year, a B grade, in Hartford County, Connecticut. This was better than the area's ranking in last year's report of 100th worst, with 0.7 days per year, a B grade.  

For the year-round average level of particle pollution, the area’s worst county, Hartford, Connecticut, received a passing grade for pollution levels below the federal standard that was recently updated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The Hartford-East Hartford, CT metro area ranked 146th worst in the nation. This was better than the area's ranking in last year's report of 145th worst in the nation. 

In addition to the Hartford-East Hartford, CT metro area, other notable findings across Connecticut include: 

• Fairfield, Litchfield and New Haven counties are included in the New York-Newark metro area which experienced worsened ozone pollution and ranked 13th worst in the nation. The metro area also ranked 64th worst for short-term particle pollution and 73rd worst for year-round particle pollution. 
• Fairfield County not only remains the worst county for ozone pollution in the New York-Newark metro area but also for the entire Eastern half of the country, earning an F grade for ozone pollution for an average of 17.7 unhealthy days per year. 
• Fairfield, Middlesex, New Haven and New London counties all earned Failing grades for ozone. Hartford, Litchfield and Tolland counties earned C grades for ozone and Windham earned a B.
• For short-term particle pollution, Fairfield and New Haven counties earned C grades, while Hartford, Litchfield and New London counties earned Bs. 
• All Connecticut counties measured for year-round particle pollution received passing grades for pollution levels below the federal standard that was recently updated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

The “State of the Air” report found that nationally, more than 131 million people live in an area that received a failing grade for at least one measure of air pollution, and 43.9 million people live in areas with failing grades for all three measures. In the three years covered by this report, individuals in the U.S. experienced the highest number of days when particle pollution reached “very unhealthy” and “hazardous” levels in the history of reporting the “State of the Air.” Communities of color are disproportionately exposed to unhealthy air and are also more likely to be living with one or more chronic conditions that make them more vulnerable to air pollution, including asthma, diabetes and heart disease. The report found that a person of color in the U.S. is more than twice as likely as a white individual to live in a community with a failing grade on all three pollution measures.

Both ozone and particle pollution can cause premature death and other serious health effects such as asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, preterm births and impaired cognitive functioning later in life. Particle pollution can also cause lung cancer. 

The Connecticut General Assembly has the opportunity to pass legislation to help improve air quality in the state by reducing transportation emissions and improving access to renewable energy.  The Lung Association implores lawmakers to take bold action to enact these policies to help improve air quality and health for all Connecticut residents.

EPA recently finalized new air pollution rules that will help clean up particle pollution and address climate change. Now, the Lung Association is urging EPA to set long overdue stronger national limits on ozone pollution. Stronger limits would help people protect themselves and drive cleanup of polluting sources across the country. See the full report results and sign the petition at Lung.org/SOTA.

Get involved and help the mission of American Lung Association. The LUNG FORCE Walk Hartford is coming up on June 1. Register today at Lungforce.org/hartford