HARRISBURG,
Pa. - Soot levels in Pittsburgh exceeded federal health standards on
seven days in 2004, more than any other major metropolitan area, an
environmental advocacy group reported Thursday.
An
air quality monitor in the city also registered the second-highest
average annual soot level among major metropolitan areas,
PennEnvironment said. The report cited data from 1,175 monitors in all
50 states and Washington, D.C.
An
air monitor in the metropolitan area covering Philadelphia, Camden,
N.J., and Wilmington, Del., registered the 16th highest average annual
soot level, the group said.
Among
mid-sized metropolitan areas nationally, Lancaster, York-Hanover,
Harrisburg-Carlisle and Reading all ranked in the top 10 for dirtiest
air.
Soot,
or particles emitted into the air by such things as automobiles, power
plants and forest fires, can contribute to heart and lung ailments,
according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The particles
are made up of acids, organic chemicals, metals, soil and dust.
Overall,
soot pollution exceeded the annual or daily health standard at air
monitors in 55 metropolitan areas in 21 states, said Philadelphia-based
PennEnvironment.
Last
month, the EPA proposed stricter daily limits for soot in response to a
lawsuit filed by nine environmental and health groups, including the
American Lung Association. The proposed limits, which could force
states to make industries spend billions of dollars to clean up things
like coal-burning power plants, diesel-powered trucks and industrial
boilers, were not as tough as those recommended in June by a clean-air
advisory committee.
