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Report finds N.H. air quality improving, but concerns persist

By Casey Junkins - City Editor | Apr 25, 2019

NASHUA – City officials and many leaders throughout New Hampshire continue working to eliminate coal, oil and natural gas from the energy portfolio in the battle against climate change, presumably to create a healthier environment.

However, as carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gas emissions continue through consumption of fossil fuels, a new report from the American Lung Association shows that New Hampshire’s environment is already improving in at least one aspect: air quality.

In the 2019 State of the Air report released Wednesday, the association finds that counties throughout New Hampshire are reporting lower particle pollution numbers and fewer bad ozone days.

Exposure to unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution can be deadly, according to the association.

“New Hampshire residents should be grateful to live in an area that has improving air quality, however, we must not take it for granted, “ Lance Boucher, senior division director of State Public Policy for the American Lung Association in New Hampshire, said.

“The 20th-anniversary State of the Air report highlights that more than four in 10 Americans are living with unhealthy air, and we must continue to implement policy changes to reduce emissions and climate change impacts if we want to sustainably protect public health in New Hampshire and elsewhere.”

Each year, the association provides a report on the two most widespread outdoor air pollutants:

• Ozone, also known as smog, and

• Particle pollution, also known as soot.

Both ozone and particle pollution can increase the risk of premature death and other serious health problems such as lung cancer, asthma attacks, cardiovascular damage, and developmental and reproductive harm.

Ozone Pollution

Information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states that ozone results from chemical interactions between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC). This happens when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants, and other sources chemically react in the presence of sunlight.

Compared to the 2018 report, both Grafton and Rockingham counties experienced fewer unhealthy days of high ozone in this year’s report. Coos County experienced one additional bad ozone day, compared to the 2018 report.

Hillsborough County registered the same number of high ozone pollution days in the 2019 report as the 2018 report: six.

“Even one bad ozone day can be harmful to a person who is healthy and active – but New Hampshire has over 15,400 kids with pediatric asthma, over 120,000 adults with asthma, and over 61,000 adults with COPD. One bad ozone day puts these populations at risk, often driving them to the doctor’s office, the hospital or the emergency room,” Boucher said.

This year’s study showed that ozone levels increased in most cities nationwide, in large part due to the record-breaking global heat experienced in the three years tracked in the report.

Particle Pollution

The report also found year-round particle pollution levels slightly lower than the 2018 report in all five reporting counties. Hillsborough County reported zero of these days.

“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,” Boucher said. “Year-round particle pollution levels have dropped, thanks to the cleanup of coal-fired power plants and the retirement of old, dirty diesel engines.”

The study also tracked short-term spikes in particle pollution, as these can be extremely dangerous. The report found that Cheshire County reported only one day when short-term particle pollution reached unhealthy levels, which in unchanged from the 2018 report.

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