In the high heat of summer, thick smog-ridden air clouds the scenic mountain vistas of the Blue Ridge. But the problems of the peak season of ozone air pollution are not just aesthetic inconvenience; they’re deadly pollutants affecting everyone’s health. That’s the message the American Lung Association (ALA) is trying to convey with its recent release of the State of the Air: 2004. The report provides county-by-county analysis and graded levels of ozone and particle pollution throughout the United States. The report used data from the Environmental Protection Agency, which monitors approximately 25 percent of the counties in the U.S. According to the findings, over half of all Americans are exposed to unhealthy levels of ozone.

Most areas in the Southeast rated particularly low, largely because of power plant emissions and diesel exhaust. Counties in the western and central part of Virginia received a grade of F in high ozone, including Roanoke, Madison, Frederick, and all of the counties surrounding Richmond. n North Carolina lowest marks were given to Buncombe, Haywood, Jackson, Catawba, Alexander, and Caldwell counties, as well as counties surrounding major metropolitan areas like Charlotte.

“The Southeast still has a lot of old coal-fired power plants, and many of them do not have modern pollution control equipment on them,” says Donna Reynolds, director of community relations for the American Lung Association in Virginia.

Ozone pollution is created when emissions from cars and coal-fired power plants mix with increased heat and sunlight. Levels increase in the summer months with higher temperatures, especially in the afternoons. Ozone pollution can cause asthma and lead to chronic bronchitis and other respiratory conditions.

Particle pollution is even more dangerous. This is the first year that the ALA has monitored particle pollution, which comes from traditional sources like power plants and vehicles but is also produced from wood-burning stoves and forest fires. Roanoke and Bristol were specifically listed as areas that do not meet federal health-based standards for particulate pollution, with major sources coming from the Interstate-81 corridor.

“Particulate pollution is particularly dangerous, because it penetrates the far-reaches of the lungs and can contribute to lung problems, as well as heart attacks,” says Reynolds. “It tends to be the type of pollution that has mortality associated with it. Of the 30,000 deaths that we attribute to air pollution in the United States, much of that comes from exposure to particulate pollution.”

Despite poor grades, the state of North Carolina has taken steps in the right direction. Two legislative sessions ago North Carolina passed the Clean Smokestacks Act, which gave the state the strongest standard for coal fired power plants in the country.

“That’s going to clean up the air within the state,” says Sarah Cox, director of programs and advocacy with the American Lung Association of North Carolina. “But upwind pollution is a big problem, so our neighboring states contribute quite a bit to the ozone pollution both in Virginia and North Carolina.”

According to Cox, scrubbers began being placed on smokestacks last fall, and more will continue throughout the next few years.

“It really remains to be seen when all of the other plants are going to have to come into compliance. We’ve got to see what the federal government is doing with its Clear Skies Initiative, which has messed up a lot of air quality efforts.”

Right now, the ALA is focused on emissions from coal-burning power plants.

“These smokestacks are the dinosaurs. It’s not right for communities downwind to have to sit in that stew of pollution.”

Those interested in finding the best and worst areas for air pollution can check the ALA Web site and enter any zip code to get a report for that specific area or the closest monitored area.

-Jedd Ferris