Particle pollution increases locally, American Lung Association says
Las Vegas is the 60th most polluted city in the nation for year-round particle pollution, the American Lung Association said Tuesday.
Year-round particle pollution has increased in Las Vegas from 2015, the association said in a statement outlining its “State of the Air” report. That bucks a nationwide trend of lower particle pollution.
“The 2016 ‘State of the Air’ report finds unhealthful levels of ozone in Las Vegas, putting our local citizens at risk for premature death and other serious health effects such as asthma attacks and cardiovascular harm,” Kristina Crawford, Executive Director of the American Lung Association in Nevada - Las Vegas said in the statement. “And, since we have such high levels of year-round particle pollution, our citizens face increased risk for lung cancer.”
Particle pollution consists of soot or tiny particles from coal-fired power plants, diesel emissions, wildfires and wood-burning devices that can lodge in lungs and trigger asthma attacks, heart attacks and strokes, Crawford said.
Las Vegas experienced fewer unhealthy days of high ozone in this year’s report, which covers data from 2012 to 2014 than in the 2015 report, which covered data from 2011-2013.
See the “State of the Air” report at stateoftheair.org.
Contact Raven Jackson at rjackson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find her on Twitter @ravenmjackson
