ALBANY — Despite improvements in overall air quality, the Capital Region continued to see worsening spikes of hazy air, according to the latest “State of the Air” report from the American Lung Association.
The annual report ranked the Albany-Schenectady metro area 69th-worst in the nation for short-term particle pollution — a decline from last year’s 73rd-place ranking despite an unchanged average of 2.8 unhealthy air days annually. It placed 171st for year-round particle levels, also worse than last year’s 180th-place ranking, though still considered a “passing grade.” For ozone pollution, the region ranked 143rd, slipping from 149th last year, even as the average held steady at 0.7 unhealthy days per year.
The report data show slight variations over the past decade for ozone pollution and annual particle pollution concentrations, after marked improvements from the late 1990s to around 2010, especially for ozone pollution. The more striking change in recent years can be seen in data for 24-hour, or short-term, particle pollution, which has crept up from 0 unhealthy days — where it sat from 2012 to 2019 — to its current 2.8 days…