STATE COLLEGE — Pennsylvania and New Jersey are tied for fifth place in a ranking of states with highest number of “smog days” in 2010, according a report issued Wednesday by PennEnvironment.
The report also ranked air pollution in metropolitan areas nationally. State College had two smog days in 2010, placing it in a 15-way tie for 23rd in the country for small metropolitan areas, with populations under 250,000, according to the report.
PennEnvironment, based in Philadelphia, defines “smog days” as those that exceed government standards for clean air.
Smog, consisting mostly of ground-level ozone, occurs when chemicals from vehicle and coal plant emissions, for example, react with sunlight.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standard, set in 2008, is 75 parts per billion over an eight-hour period. The report calls for an air quality standard between 60 and 70 parts per billion.
The borough’s highest concentration of pollution was 78 parts per billion, a level that EPA’s Air Quality Index characterizes as “unhealthy for sensitive groups.” While that level is unlikely to affect most people, those with respiratory problems, children and the elderly face more risk of health problems.
In the report’s state rankings, Pennsylvania had 35 smog days. The highest concentration, 105 parts per billion, is in the “unhealthy” range, in which everyone may feel health affects.
The report states it uses EPA data from various EPA sources, but that the data has not yet been verified.
The EPA does not count “smog days,” but tracks areas where the air quality exceeds the health standard.
Matthew Ward, a PennEnvironment spokesman, criticized President Barack Obama’s decision earlier this month to back off tougher air-quality standards.
“For too long, smog pollution has left our children gasping for breath,” said Ward. “Unfortunately, rather than acting decisively to protect our kids from dangerous air pollution, President Obama chose to kick the can down the road.”
In a dramatic reversal, Obama scrubbed clean-air regulations that aimed to reduce health-threatening smog, yielding to bitterly protesting businesses and congressional Republicans who complained the rule would kill jobs in America’s ailing economy.
Local environmental advocates held a news conference in the State College Municipal Building Wednesday to publicize information in the report. They said they’re worried that the borough’s air quality will worsen, and natural gas drilling will add to the problem.
Mayor Elizabeth Goreham pointed to the vehicle traffic of commuters to the borough and power plants to the west causing air pollution problems here.
“Our citizens deserve to have clean air and we can give it to them,” she said, urging for stricter EPA standards.
Among midsized metropolitan areas in Pennsylvania, Lancaster was 10th worst in 2010, Allentown- Bethlehem 13th, and Reading 20th. Among small areas, Sharon was in a five-way tie for 16th worst and Altoona was in a two-way tie for 21st worst in the nation. Johnstown was part of the tie for 23rd and Williamsport was in a 16-way tie for 38th worst.
California cities still had the worst air in the nation, according to the report, followed by Texas, Utah, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Jessica VanderKolk can be reached at 235-3910. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
