Wednesday, April 28, 2010 | 12:20 p.m.
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Beyond the Sun
The Las Vegas area got a failing grade in the American Lung Association’s annual State of the Air report released Wednesday.
Clark County got an F grade for its number of days with high ozone levels, with 66 days last year, putting the area in the No. 21 spot on a national list of the most ozone-polluted cities.
The region did better in other measures of air quality, getting a B grade for particle pollution.
The association’s 11th annual report says more than half of U.S. residents live in areas where they’re exposed to high pollution levels.
Las Vegas’ at-risk population includes more than 116,000 adults with asthma, the report says.
The region’s ozone pollution level has improved in the past decade, the report says, but ozone remains a problem for Clark County.
“When you inhale ozone, it irritates your lungs, leaving them with something like a bad sunburn,” said Dr. Norman H. Edelman, the association’s chief medical officer. “It causes health problems the day you breathe it in, and even days after. Ozone can cause wheezing, coughing, asthma attacks and even shorten your life.”
Ozone is formed when nitrogen oxide gases and volatile organic compounds, such as gasoline vapors, react in the sunlight and heat, the report says.
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