Hudson County’s Air Earns an ‘F’ Once Again
By Jon Whiten • Apr 28th, 2010 • Category: Blog, News
Just like last year, Hudson County’s air quality has been given failing grades by the American Lung Association’s 2010 “State of the Air” report. The county failed in both the High Ozone Days category and the Particle Pollution category.
The report, which uses Environmental Protection Agency data from 2006 to 2008, finds that Hudson had 29 days in which the Ozone levels caused air quality to be “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” such as those with asthma and the elderly. Still, Hudson fared better in this category than many other parts of the state, having the fourth lowest ranking in this area among the 12 counties measured.
When it comes to particle pollution — made up of the specks of soot, dust and aerosols suspended in the air — the news for our air is much worse. For the second year running, Hudson County had the second-highest particle pollution ranking of the 12 counties measured, behind only Union County. This type of pollution is often associated with diesel engines and coal-burning facilities and exposure can lead to lung and cardiovascular problems.
The report does note that the air quality in much of the country — including the larger metro area that Jersey City falls in — is improving. But it still finds that over 175 million people — about 58 percent of the population — still face air pollution levels that are often too dangerous to breathe.
Coal-fired power plants and dirty diesel trucks are cited by the Lung Association as two of the reasons behind persistent air pollution in the U.S. In Jersey City, we have a coal-fired power plant operated by PSE&G on the banks of the Hackensack, though it has installed new filtering systems that have drastically reduced certain types of emissions, and many dirty diesel trucks that service the ports in Bayonne and Newark travel through the city en route to other destinations.
The report suggests solutions on both the policy and individual levels, ranging from setting new federal standards for automobile pollution to driving less and using less electricity.
To read the full report, click here.
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Jon Whiten is the founding editor of the Jersey City Independent; he now works for a public-policy nonprofit in Trenton.
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