Filed Under: Local | New York City | Air | Air

NYC smogSince the passage of the 1990 Clean Air Act, New York has seen a significant reduction in many air pollutants, including ground-level ozone and carbon monoxide. Yet, the New York City metro area, a designated "non-attainment zone" under the Clean Air Act, continues to exceed federal health standards for ozone and smog. In April 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a report that found that most New Yorkers are breathing air that does not meet new federal health standards for smog. The pollution is a result of dirty emissions produced in the tri-state area and air-borne contaminants from the Midwest and central Canada. As a result, state and county officials are preparing plans for reducing the most serious air pollutant, ground-level ozone, which is produced by cars, power plants and factories, and which cause and worsen respiratory problems. In addition, Manhattan exceeds the current federal health standard for particulate matter (i.e. soot), and the entire region is likely to continue to exceed the federal standard for fine particulate soot. Major airborne pollutants such as lead, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide contribute to the City's high incidence of asthma (double the New York State average, in some neighborhoods, and up to six times the national average) and other respiratory ailments.