Tallahassee air quality among cleanest in country in 'State of the Air' report

Take a deep breath, Tallahassee: we've got good news.

The Tallahassee metro area — which includes Gadsen, Jefferson, Leon and Wakulla counties — was ranked among the cleanest in the U.S. for ozone pollution, according to the American Lung Association’s 25th annual “State of the Air” report, which looked at air quality data from 2020 through 2022.

Tallahassee also saw an improvement in its level of year-round particle pollution compared to last year.

The 2024 report grades exposure to unhealthy levels of ground-level ozone air pollution, the ALA said, plus both annual particle pollution and short-term spikes over a three-year period. Ozone and particle pollution can cause shortness of breath and coughing, an increased risk of respiratory infections, and can send people with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to the hospital, the ALA said.

News of the report comes on the same day the capital city is enduring an "unhealthy" air quality day. On Wednesday, Tallahassee scored a 174 on the Air Quality Index and advised people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens to avoid strenuous outdoor activities.

"Smoke from surrounding prescribed burns yesterday settled over the region overnight and remains in place this morning. Light winds throughout today may lead to a slight/gradual improvement," the National Weather Service wrote on X.

Overall, though, things are improving nationwide.

"Unfortunately, more than 131 million people still live in places with unhealthy levels of air pollution,” said Ashley Lyerly, ALA's Senior Director of Advocacy. “Climate change is making air pollution more likely to form and more difficult to clean up. So, there are actions we can and must take to improve air quality, including calling on EPA to set long-overdue stronger national limits on ozone pollution.”

Breathe it in: Florida counties among cleanest in U.S. according to 'State of the Air' quality report

What is ozone, and how have the levels improved in Tallahassee?

Ozone is a gas molecule, and high up it's good. The ozone layer in the earth's upper atmosphere shields us from a lot of the sun's ultraviolet radiation.

But ozone pollution at ground level — created by a combination of pollutants from fossil fuels, motor vehicles, factories and other sources that react together in sunlight — can attack lung tissue, impact the immune system, and have a serious effect on the respiratory system both short-term and over years of exposure, the ALA said.

"The Tallahassee metro area ranked among the nation's cleanest cities for ozone pollution," the ALA said in a release. Leon County had no unhealthy days, netting it an "A" grade. That's up from last year's "B" grade and a ranking of 111th worst in the country.

What is particle pollution, and how have the levels improved in Tallahassee?

Particle pollution is what makes air appear "thick and hazy," and it can be deadly. It refers to tiny bits of solids and liquids in the air from factory smokestacks, power plants, unpaved roads, vehicles and wildfires. Researchers grade particles according to size, the ALA said, but even the tiniest, invisible particles (PM2.5) can cause serious health issues by entering your lungs and bloodstream and causing damage to other organs.

"Researchers estimate that PM2.5 is responsible for nearly 48,000 premature deaths in the United States every year," the ALA said.

The Tallahassee area improved here as well, scoring a "B" for short-term particle pollution in Leon County and ranking 124th worst in the country. Last year the area also got a "B", but then it was 118th worst, so there's that.

As for the year-round average level of particle pollution, Leon County passed with a ranking of 166th worst in the U.S., up from last year's ranking of 150th worst.

That's much better than it sounds, as the Environmental Agency (EPA) recently updated its standards for fine particle pollution so everyone was graded a little harder this time.

Who is most at risk from the dangers of air pollution?

Anyone outdoors when ozone or particle pollution is high can be at risk, even healthy people. Haze from wildfires, even wildfires very far away such as the Canadian blazes that sent smoke across the entire eastern seaboard last year, can seriously aggravate respiratory issues. Some groups who are especially susceptible include:

• Pregnant people

• Children and teens

• Anyone 65 and older

• Anyone with pre-existing medical conditions including lung diseases (e.g. asthma) or metabolic disorders (e.g. obesity)

• People of lower socioeconomic status

• People who work or exercise outdoors

The report found that a person of color in the U.S. is more than twice as likely as a white individual to live in a community with a failing grade on all three pollution measures.

"Communities of color are disproportionately exposed to unhealthy air and are also more likely to be living with one or more chronic conditions that make them more vulnerable to air pollution, including asthma, diabetes and heart disease," the report said.

How did the rest of Florida fare in the 2024 State of the Air report?

Florida, with its coastal winds and lack of heavy industry, mostly came out ahead of the rest of the country. Some findings from other metro areas:

• Jacksonville metro area (Northeast Florida): Ranked among the nation’s cleanest cities for ozone pollution, 124th worst for short-term particle pollution and 84th worst in the nation for year-round average level of particle pollution.

• Miami metro area (South Florida): Mixed results. It had its best-ever record for ozone pollution but failed for year-round average level of particle pollution.

• Orlando metro area (Central Florida): Ranked high for both ozone and short-term particle pollution. It ranked 99th worst in the nation for year-round average level of particle pollution.

• Tampa Bay metro area (Southwest Florida): Not quite as good. The Tampa area ranked 71st most polluted city in the nation for ozone pollution but received passing grades for short-term particle pollution and year-round average level of particle pollution.

Of the 35 counties in Florida with monitors for ozone or particle pollution (as chosen by the state and the EPA), nearly all of them received an A grade for high ozone days in the years 2020-2022. Escambia, Marion and Miami-Dade received Bs and Hillsborough got a C. Rankings are based on the county's average number of unhealthy days.

Things were a little hazier for high particle pollution days over the same period. Many counties were not counted, but on the pass/fail grading Broward and Escambia failed due to higher year-over-year measures and stricter standards.

You can track air quality in your area in our map, in most weather apps, weather websites, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Air Quality Today map, or the EPA's AirNow.gov site.

Beth Reese Cravey Florida Times Union, contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: U.S. air quality improving, Tallahassee among best in annual report