Las Vegas Improves in Smog Rankings, But Still Gets Failing Grade
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
LAS VEGAS - Las Vegas residents can breathe a little easier today. The city no longer is among the top 10 smoggiest in America, according to a new report by the American Lung Association.
Pollution remains a problem, according to the report. Nevada's largest metro area is now 12th in the nation for high ozone pollution, or smog, and the ALA gives Clark County a failing grade for ozone, with about 60 days of dangerous smog levels from 2014 to 2016. However, that's the fewest number of high-ozone days for the region since the report began nearly 20 years ago.
Stacey Mortenson, a program director for the ALA, said the annual "State of the Air" report shows that environmental regulations have made a difference.
"If some of these regulations and limits come off," she said, "then we're kind of opening ourselves back to going where we were, instead of seeing the improvements that our report has been showing."
The ALA said air has gotten continuously cleaner in the United States since the Clean Air Act went into effect in 1970, but the report confirmed there's much room for improvement. It said about four out of 10 Americans still live in areas where air quality often is unhealthy.
The report warned that exposure to ozone pollution can contribute to early death, nervous-system damage or developmental delays. Mortenson said areas with dense smog or high levels of particulates in the air are especially dangerous for young children or people with asthma or cardiovascular diseases.
"You will see on high-pollution days, there will be increased visits to the emergency departments, or there will be increased hospitalizations due to respiratory ailments," she said.
Mortenson said Las Vegas' famously hot climate contributes to its poor air quality, since ozone pollution gets worse when gases mix with heat and sunlight. She said individuals can do their part by avoiding burning wood or trash and driving low-emissions vehicles. Dangerous vapors are more likely to escape into the atmosphere in the sun, she said, so even just waiting until after dark to fill your gas tank can keep the air cleaner.
The ALA report is online at stateoftheair.org.
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