The DFW's Still All Smogged Up

The American Lung Association released its annual State of the Air report this morning -- and, sorry, Dallas, Collin, Tarrant and Denton counties, but when it comes to smog, the report card still reads "F." Indeed, notes the report, while many cities around the country have seen their ozone levels...

By Robert Wilonsky

April 29, 2009

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The American Lung Association released its annual State of the Air report this morning -- and, sorry, Dallas, Collin, Tarrant and Denton counties, but when it comes to smog, the report card still reads "F." Indeed, notes the report, while many cities around the country have seen their ozone levels recede in recent years -- say, still-No. 1 Los Angeles, where the smog lessens just a teensy bit every year -- "some cities have seen their ozone levels trend higher over the past decade, including Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, and Las Vegas, NV," reads the 182-page document.

That -- combined with the EPA's lowering the threshold for dangerous ozone levels from .08 parts per million to .075 ppm last spring -- merits Dallas-Fort Worth's No. 7 ranking on the "People at Risk In 25 Most Ozone-Polluted Cities" list. Here's the complete Dallas County breakdown, which shows a passing grade for "particulate pollution."

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