Readers respond to last week’s Feedback Friday topic, which was:
“F” Grades for Maryland Air Quality Doled Out
Posted April 21 2023
This week, the American Lung Association issued it’s annual “State of the Air” report, which evaluates jurisdictions in each state for air quality. Air pollution seems to permeate Maryland. All but one jurisdiction earned grades well below healthy levels. In examining ozone and particle pollution, only Garrett County in Western Maryland earned an “A” grade. Sadly, but not surprisingly, counties with the highest population densities earned “F” grades—Anne Arundel, Prince George’s, Baltimore, and Harford.
The report warns that continued exposure to high levels of air pollution—especially days issued/alerted as “code orange” or worse by the EPA—can increase the risk of developing asthma, respiratory infections, lung cancer, and heart disease. And shorten lives.
Do these reports affect your day-to-day living? How do you mitigate the risks associated with poor air quality? Can anything be done? Health policy, legislation, cultural shift to cleaner energy?
Here’s what you said:
Anne Arundel county does not have much manufacturing, so I am assuming poor air quality is mainly due to fossil fuel burning vehicles and power plants. We can reduce our emissions by moving to electric vehicles and installing more chargers for the growing number of EVs. The state and county have not been very progressive as well as HOA boards not being forward thinking.
It's our planet that we need to preserve for our children.
Steven Kubisen, Annapolis
Hi, Thanks for this survey. About air pollution in Annapolis, I mostly notice it in the summer, and on hot hazy days, and I try to stay inside.
I am more concerned about my old friend (80syo) who lives in dirty "pockets" of air, in a subsidized apartment in Edgemere, and he has air filters in his room and the air quality is STILL bad! What can we do about this? Limit pollution from cars and business smoke stacks? Can the government issue good subsidized air cleaners for in-house use? So he has somewhere he can retreat to? Thanks for considering this.
Tracy Gill, Annapolis
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