The American Lung Association this week ranked Harford County among the worst counties in the nation for ozone pollution this week by the American Lung Association, the result of the Interstate 95 corridor and pollutants drifting in from other, more developed areas.
The association?s State of the Air 2007 report ranked Harford as Maryland?s worst and the nation?s 21st-worst county for ozone pollution, with a weighted average of 10.7 days a year of unhealthy amounts of low-lying ozone pollution. The second-worst county in the state was Anne Arundel, which had an average of 7.2 unhealthy days.
Harford?s location along the I-95 corridor brings pollution from cars, while its central location makes it a catchall for pollution from Washington, Baltimore, Delaware, Philadelphia and even parts of the Midwest, Harford County Health Department spokeswoman Ruth Maiorana said.
“Emissions from very large power plants located along the Ohio River Valley are a major contributor,” said Susan Kelly, the health department?s director of environmental health. In warmer months, winds carry the pollutants eastward but get stalled when they hit the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay, she said.
On days when surface-level ozone is high, people are advised to limit outdoor activity, refuel their cars after dusk when the air is cooler, postpone using oil-based paints and avoid open burning from June 1 to Aug. 31, Kelly said.
The county has seen a decrease in unhealthy days since last year, when the weighted average was 16.7 days of high ozone, according to the association?s last report. Maryland Department of the Environment spokesman Robert Ballinger credited state programs for reducing air pollution statewide.
“You?re never happy with what it is until it?s perfect, but we have made some major improvements,” he said.
Harford County Health Officer Andrew Bernstein warned that Harford?s continuing growth will greatly influence future levels of pollution and the subsequent effects on public health.
“Expanding an interchange or widening a highway may relieve traffic congestion, but if it also increases airborne pollutants in and around the county, it may actually lead to worsening health for the residents,” Bernstein said.
