The American Lung Association has once again given Hampshire County a failing grade in its annual “State of the Air” report card, a familiar mark that results when pollution hitches a ride in the air stream from the west.
Hampshire and Hampden counties both earned an F, while there was not enough data to rate Franklin County’s air quality.
Elsewhere in the state, Berkshire and Suffolk counties scored a C, while Worcester received a D. The grades reflect how many days the air reached unhealthy levels.
Richard Peltier, assistant professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, said the poor ratings for Hampshire and Hampden counties have little to do with pollution generated in the Valley. Instead, he said the poor grades, calculated based on measured ozone, came mostly in the wind from the west.
“There’s always the old adage that Massachusetts is the tailpipe of the U.S.,” said Peltier. “And it’s true.”
Ozone is created when a combination of gases — nitrogen oxide gases and volatile organic compounds emitted from smokestacks, tailpipes and the like — reacts to sunlight, Peltier explained.
“It’s a pretty strong respiratory irritant,” he added.
The report has often given Hampshire County a failing grade for smog since it began reporting ozone and particle pollution levels 17 years ago. Last year, however, the county received a C, along with Hampden County.
Peltier said the county dropped back to a F because the federal Environmental Protection Agency strengthened the air-quality standards for ground-level ozone to 70 parts per billion from 75 parts per billion.
“So that’s really why we moved from a C to an F — it became harder to meet those goals,” said Peltier, adding that the standards still fall below what health professionals have requested. “The fact is the target still isn’t as low as recommended by health researchers.”
Even if the region is not directly responsible for the F grade it received, as most experts agree, the pollution still has potentially dangerous repercussions.
Ozone irritates the lungs and can cause coughing, wheezing and asthma attacks, among other problems. The burden of the condition is considerably greater for those with chronic conditions and typically leads to more hospitalization, more visits to the emergency room and more medication, medical experts say.
The American Lung Association advises people to track ozone status and avoid outdoor activity when it reaches dangerous levels. People especially susceptible are children under 18, elderly and those unhealthy or with lung diseases are advised to stay indoors.
To read the report, visit stateoftheair.org.
Amanda Drane can be contacted at adrane@gazettenet.com.