Clearing up Cincinnati's last-place air quality ranking
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Greater Cincinnati had just 95 good air quality days last year, per EPA data, ranking last among 20 peer regions.
Why it matters: Air pollution can pose health risks, especially to children, older adults and people with existing health problems.
- The region's air quality is affected by industrial emissions and ozone pollution, though most days that aren't considered "good" still fall within the EPA's "moderate" category rather than unhealthy.
Driving the news: The Cincinnati Regional Chamber highlighted the findings in its newly released State of the Region report.
Zoom in: The data covers seven counties across Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky, Joy Landry, a spokesperson for the Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency, tells Axios.
- Elevated levels of fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, may be linked to monitoring sites near industrial facilities outside of Cincinnati proper.
- Sunlight and chemical reactions involving those pollutants can also create ground-level ozone, meaning the pollution doesn't necessarily originate where it's detected.
Reality check: The region's low number of good days doesn't necessarily mean air pollution is getting worse.
- In 2024, the EPA tightened its Air Quality Index for fine particulate pollution, lowering the concentration corresponding to an AQI of 50 from 12 to 9 micrograms per cubic meter.
- As a result, some days previously classified as "good" now count as "moderate," even if pollution levels haven't changed.
The big picture: Local air officials say ozone and fine-particle pollution have remained relatively stable over the past decade, though events like Canada's 2023 wildfires can temporarily worsen conditions.
The bottom line: The ranking may raise eyebrows, but a closer look at what counts as "good" helps clear the air.