Detroit air quality ranks among worst in U.S.
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Detroit failed every pollution test from the American Lung Association this year and is among the country's worst areas for short-term and year-round particle pollution.
Why it matters: Particle pollution — often from motor vehicles, factories and power plants — can make asthma worse and contribute to diabetes, strokes, heart attacks and lung cancer.
The big picture: Nearly half of Americans (44%) are living with unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution, per the association's annual State of the Air report released last week.
Zoom in: The Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor metro area ranked No. 9 nationally for worst annual particle pollution among more than 200 U.S. metros.
- It also ranked No. 11 for the worst 24-hour particle pollution.
- Wayne County received an F grade for ozone pollution. The county had a weighted average of 6.8 unhealthy ozone days, up from 6.2 in last year's report.
State of play: The region's air quality has declined after improvements in the early 2000s, the lung association's data shows.
What they're saying: "Now is the time to strengthen air pollution standards, but EPA is doing the opposite," Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the American Lung Association, said in a statement.
The other side: "All our regulatory decisions are rooted in gold standard science and the law," an EPA spokesperson told Planet Detroit. "What ALA failed to acknowledge is that U.S. air quality has seen massive improvements in recent decades."
What we're watching: You can check daily pollution conditions and forecasts at Airnow.gov.