A survey shows that New York City has the cleanest air among all major cities in the U.S.
NYC is also known as the most populous state in the United States, with about eight million residents, and having a good air quality is a great relief as it helped in reducing the number of people admitted in hospitals thus cutting the mortality rate. The improvement in air quality has been observed for 50 years.
City mayor Michael Bloomberg proudly announced at a news conference Thursday, “New York has the cleanest air now of any major American city.”
Since 2008, the sulfur dioxide level, which exacerbates asthma, in the air has decreased by 69 percent and since 2007, the soot pollution level, which causes heart and lung diseases, decreased by 23 percent. The information was from NYC Community Air Survey which evaluates the air pollution levels in 150 different locations throughout the city per season.
According to the Health Department and Queens College (QC-CUNY) which conducted the survey, the reduction in air pollution has led to 2,000 lesser hospitalizations and emergency room visits and 800 deaths in New York City.
Dr. Thomas Farley, New York City’s health commissioner, told the Washington Post, “This better air quality prevents more deaths than any other change that’s happened in New York City in the last decade,” aside from prohibition of smoking.
Other contributing factors on air quality improvement include buildings burning lower-pollution heating oil and switching over to cleaner burning natural gas.
Judith Zelikoff, a professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine at New York University School of Medicine, said New York’s pollution levels decreasing “is extremely critical for public health.”
“We know that air pollution can have many adverse health outcomes,” she added, when it comes to reducing the overall quality of life for people who become limited in their time outside because of the impact on their breathing.
Zelikoff said people are greatly considering issues related to air cleanliness and people have become more and more aware of the health impacts and effects of air pollution.
