Monmouth & Ocean get same grade as NJ for air quality…an ‘F’
It may not come as a surprise to some that New Jersey has received an 'F' grade for its quality of air in a report just released by the American Lung Association.
The number one reason for the poor air quality is something we use everyday, vehicles, which are producing smog and polluting the ozone, according to News 12 New Jersey, who spoke to Jeff Tittel with the NJ Sierra Club who is hoping New Jerseyans will turn more towards electric powered vehicles instead of relying on putting gas into their tanks.
"New Jersey Transit is buying another 500 gasoline-powered buses when they should be moving toward electric buses like LA, Seattle and New York,” Tittel said.
The highest grade any New Jersey county received in the ALA report was a 'C' (Atlantic, Cumberland and Warren Counties) but both Monmouth and Ocean County received an 'F' grade themselves for High Ozone Days.
In terms of Particle Pollution in the report Ocean County received a 'B' while Monmouth County received a DNC (Did Not Complete).
The American Lung Association says the groups at risk are those under 18, over 65, anyone with Asthma, COPD, Lung Cancer, CV Disease and Diabetes.
“People living, working, or going to school in New Jersey should be aware that we’re breathing unhealthy air, driven by local emissions, upwind sources, and extreme heat as a result of climate change, placing our health and lives at risk,” Kevin Stewart, the American Lung Association’s Director of Environmental Health for Advocacy and Public Policy, said. “In addition to challenges here in the state, the 20th-anniversary ‘State of the Air’ report highlights that more than 4 in 10 Americans are living with unhealthy air, and we’re heading in the wrong direction when it comes to protecting public health."
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