PHOENIX (AZFamily) —Getting a breath of fresh air might be a little more difficult in the Valley.
The American Lung Association found the Phoenix metro area was the fourth-worst area in the country in terms of ozone air pollution. This is worse than last year’s report, where Phoenix ranked fifth. “There’s a lot of reasons. First, we have the perfect recipe to make ozone here in Arizona and in Phoenix,” said Joanna Strother, the senior director of advocacy with the American Lung Association.
Ozone pollution is also known as smog. According to Strother, this happens when various chemicals, like exhaust from cars, get into the air and react with the intense Arizona sun and heat. This creates air that can cause health problems for many people. “Especially those people who are our children, our seniors, pregnant women. These are the people we want to protect the most,” Strother said…