ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando residents, breathe a sigh of relief.
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Orlando was ranked as one of the cleanest cities for short-term particle pollution for the sixth consecutive State of the Air report by the American Lung Association.
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The annual air quality report card tracks and grades Americans’ exposure to unhealthy levels of ground-level air pollution or smog, annual particle pollution or soot, and short-term spikes in particle pollution over a three-year period, according to a news release.
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The latest report covers the years 2018 through 2020.
While Orlando did get high marks for short-term particle pollution, its rankings were “mixed” for particle pollution and ozone pollution, some of the most harmful and widespread types of air pollution, the news release states.
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“The levels of ozone and particle pollution seen in Orlando can harm the health of all of our residents, but particularly at risk are children, older adults, pregnant people, and those living with chronic disease. Both ozone and particle pollution can cause premature death and other serious health effects such as asthma attacks, cardiovascular damage, and developmental and reproductive harm. Particle pollution can also cause lung cancer,” Ashley Lyerly, Senior Director of Advocacy for Florida for the Lung Association said in a news release. “Fortunately, the area did see an improvement in the levels of ozone pollution.”
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