Most Of New York City, Suburbs Receive Failing Grade In Air Quality Report
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It's enough to take your breath away.
Most of New York City has found itself near the bottom of the list when it comes to air quality.
The American Lung Association released its 15th annual air quality report Wednesday, which found that half of Americans still live in areas where ozone or particle pollution levels make the air unhealthy to breathe.
Most Of New York City, Suburbs Receive Failing Grade In Air Quality Report
The report gave Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx an F grade for ozone or particle pollution levels.
Staten Island was ranked second dirtiest in the state for ozone pollution, 1010 WINS' Hollie Haerr reported.
Some of New York City's suburbs also received an F grade, including Suffolk, Westchester, and Rockland counties.
Brooklyn and Nassau County were listed as "DNC" in the report, meaning that there was no monitor collecting data in those counties.
Several people walking along 14th Street said they or a family member has asthma, Haerr reported.
"I just had an appointment with a doctor today," one woman who lives by the Con Ed power plant said. "It brings a lot of dust and all that stuff. We keep cleaning all the time."
Overall, 22 of the 25 most ozone-polluted cities in the 2014 State of the Air report -- including Los Angeles, New York City, and Chicago -- had more high ozone days on average when compared to last year's report.
The report also found that more than 27.8 million people in the country live in 17 counties with unhealthful levels of all pollutants measured in the report.
Los Angeles was ranked with the country's most polluted air, while Bangor, Maine was listed as having the cleanest air.
The American Lung Association said dangerous levels of air pollution can result in wheezing and coughing, asthma attacks, heart attacks, and premature death.
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