The American Lung Associations’ annual “State of the Air” report is out and the grades are in: While our region saw incremental air quality improvements, it still scored straight F’s for exposure to ozone, short-term PM 2.5 and long-term PM 2.5. In fact, the Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton region still ranks among the top-10 worst regions in the country when it comes to exposure to long-term exposure to fine particle pollution. You can read the report, which uses the latest certified federal air quality monitoring data from 2017-19, here. The annual report is lengthy and complex – and throws around a ton of numbers. So GASP and fellow Breathe Collaborative members want to be clear: While the incremental improvements noted in the report are encouraging, there is still so much work to do to ensure all residents of Allegheny County have healthy air – especially those most vulnerable to air pollution and those living in front-line communities like Clairton and Braddock. The report provides a snapshot of two critical federally regulated air pollutants – PM2.5 and ozone. But it’s important to remember those aren’t the only ones that plague our region. Not included are other federally regulated air pollutants like sulfur dioxide (SO2). And consider this: Allegheny County is currently not meeting the federal sulfur dioxide standard. The “State of the Air” report also doesn’t address state-regulated air pollutants like hydrogen sulfide (H2S). High concentrations of H2S (widely recognized by its foul, rotten-egg odor) are registered all too often in the Mon Valley. In fact, so far this year there have already been 21 exceedances of Pennsylvania’s 24-hour average H2S standard – 13 at the Liberty monitor and eight more at the North Braddock monitor. The only way our region has a chance of clawing its way off the 10-worst list is through more robust enforcement of industrial sources long known to be air pollution bad actors. With the region again scoring an “F” for exposure to PM2.5 and other hazardous air pollutants, now is the time for local leaders like Allegheny County Chief Executive Rich Fitzgerald to champion stronger coke oven and episodic air pollution regulations. Speaking of enforcement and compliance efforts: ACHD’s Air Quality Program needs to be better funded. Period. Right now, health officials are stuck in a David v. Goliath situation – a public agency up against multi-billion companies like U.S. Steel. One way to buoy enforcement and compliance efforts that will help further clean up our air is for the county to swiftly approve proposed draft air quality permit fees. That fee schedule will soon be before the Allegheny County Council for a vote. We encourage local residents to join us in imploring council members to vote “yes” on the fee schedule changes. “While ALA’s report indicates improvements, at the end of the day we are still failing. Polluted air translates into more asthma attacks, heart attacks, and cancer for people in our region, and a deteriorated quality of life for everyone,” GASP Executive Director Rachel Filippini said. “Regulators and decision-makers need to act more aggressively to improve air quality and treat it like the urgent public health issue that it is.” People living in the region, especially in communities in proximity to the region’s largest industrial polluters like Braddock and Clairton, continue to experience degraded quality of life as a result of the region’s poor performance on air quality. “This remains a serious environmental justice issue worthy of being prioritized by local officials,” Filippini added. Myron Arnowitt, Pennsylvania Director for Clean Water Action, agreed. “Reports like the Lung Association’s State of the Air show us what environmental racism looks like. Wealthier and whiter communities have raced ahead to clean up their air, leaving communities like Clairton, Duquesne and Braddock in the Mon Valley behind,” he said. “Allegheny County should act to level the playing field when it comes to having a healthy start in life.” PennEnvironment Clean Air Advocate Zachary Barber called our areas’ failing grades as “a wake up call” to local leaders. “Allegheny County’s polluted air is jeopardizing the health of local residents and holding the region back. It’s clear that we aren’t doing enough,” he said. “Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and the health department need to step up their efforts to rein in harmful air pollution from Allegheny County’s ‘Toxic Ten’ industrial emitters.” It’s also confirmation that we’ve got a lot more work to do, PennFuture President and CEO Jacquelyn Bonomo said. “One bad air day is one too many, yet the Pittsburgh metro region still experiences dozens of bad air days annually,” she said. “We can do better than this, and we all deserve better than this. It’s time for elected officials of all stripes to commit to ending unhealthy air for all of our communities.”​ ACHD on Thursday afternoon issued its own statement on the ALA report. That press release can be viewed here.

The average concentration yesterday was 0.006 ppm, according to preliminary health department data. The state 24-hour standard is 0.005 ppm. The Sunday H2S exceedance was the sixth so far this month and the 13th so far this year at the Liberty monitor. Hydrogen sulfide is a colorless gas most commonly recognized by its “rotten egg” smell. This most recent exceedance comes in the wake of a Notice of Violation issued by ACHD to U.S. Steel on April 1 regarding H2S emissions. The NOV covers 25 exceedances that occurred in 2020 and seven in the first quarter of 2021. The notice is the first step for any enforcement action –  including civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation per day – for sources. Since the NOV was issued, there have been six more exceedances of the H2S standard at the Liberty monitor and two at the North Braddock monitor. U.S. Steel had 14 days to schedule a meeting with ACHD to discuss the NOV before legal may proceed with further enforcement action. No further information about the notice or U.S. Steel’s response is available on the ACHD website. “Yesterday we heard from so many about how poor the air quality was, how much it impacted their health and quality of life – about headaches and asthma attacks,” GASP Executive Director Rachel Filippini said. “We hope that the health department understands just how awful these bad-air days are to the people who live in the Mon Valley and downwind of it. They deserve clean air, and they also deserve transparency on what ACHD is doing to make that happen. It’s time for the health department to update the public about exactly what it’s doing to remedy this situation.” While ACHD has committed to providing Mon Valley air quality alerts when levels of fine particulate matter are expected to exceed health-based standards, GASP is again calling on the department to expand that messaging – folks deserve to know when levels of other pollutants like H2S are expected to exceed Pennsylvania’s own air quality standard.”

The average concentration yesterday was 0.006 ppm, according to preliminary health department data. The state 24-hour standard is 0.005 ppm. The Tuesday H2S exceedance was fifth so far this month at the Liberty monitor.

No, not the kind that’s way up high protecting us from those harmful UV rays. We’re talking ground-level ozone. What the heck is ground-level ozone? At the ground level, ozone is a harmful type of air pollution that is classified as a criteria pollutant by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) because its level in outdoor air needs to be limited based on health criteria. Heard of the term smog? Ozone is its main ingredient. Since the temperature keeps creeping up into the 70s and 80s, it seems like a good time to remind folks that ozone is most prevalent during the warm-weather months we’re headed into now. And yes, while ozone may be initially created in urban areas, it can travel long distances and accumulate in high concentrations far away from its original sources. So, what causes it? Where does ozone come from? Glad you asked. Ground-level ozone is created by chemical reactions that occur between nitrogen oxides (known as NOx) and volatile organic compounds (known as VOCs). This happens when sunlight chemically reacts with pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, chemical plants, refineries, and even some species of trees. And it can be harmful to your health: Inhaling ozone can cause everything from throat irritation and coughing to chest pain and airway inflammation that makes it difficult to breathe. Ozone can even reduce lung function and harm lung tissue, and exposure can exacerbate conditions like asthma and other breathing issues. Some scientists have compared ozone-caused lung damage to a sunburn. People most at risk from breathing air containing ozone include people with asthma, children, older adults, and people who are active outdoors, especially outdoor workers. In addition, people with certain genetic characteristics, and people with reduced intake of certain nutrients, such as vitamins C and E, are at greater risk from ozone exposure. The EPA has developed a course called, Ozone and Your Patients’ Health, to educate medical professionals as well as patients and their families about the science behind ozone’s effect on respiration and how to manage their respiratory health using the Air Quality Index. How can I reduce my risk when it comes to ground-level ozone? And my ozone footprint? When it comes to minimizing your exposure to ozone, timing is essential: We’re most likely to see peak hourly values of the pollutant in the late afternoon – we’re talking from around 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. That means you can mitigate exposure by avoiding certain activities during that time of day. How can you help reduce your ozone footprint? Here are a couple of recommendations from the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD): Limit daytime driving. Combine trips when possible. Use public transit or rideshare. Walk or bicycle for short trips. Avoid prolonged idling and jackrabbit starts. Don’t refuel. If you must, do so after 7 p.m. Refuel carefully. Don’t top off your tank. Use latex instead of oil-based paint. Save energy. Wash dishes and clothes with full loads. Keep window shades/blinds closed during the day to cut down on air conditioning.

In fact, company CEO David B. Burritt recently noted that U.S. Steel recognizes that is a “pillar” of the community and acknowledged the importance of being a good neighbor – a Pittsburgh virtue if there ever was one. “U.S. Steel recognizes the importance of the communities where we live and work,” Burritt said in a March 26 press release. “We want a sustainable, bright future for families in the Mon Valley and Greater Pittsburgh.” That release was issued in the midst of a month marred by multiple exceedances of the state hydrogen-sulfide standard. March saw 11 days on which that standard was exceeded at at least one of Allegheny County Health Department’s H2S monitors. But the company release – with its big talk about community caring – had nothing to do with air quality or its role as the county’s most significant source of emissions generally and H2S specifically. It was a press release announcing a commitment to….literacy and access to sports through a partnership with the Pittsburgh Penguins. While both of those causes are certainly admirable, the announcement was tone-deaf at best with the company expounding on its commitment to the community at a time when its operations were exacerbating our poor air quality – and in the wake of a series of public hearings during which residents demanded more accountability from both U.S. Steel and the officials who regulate it. Since then, another spate of bad air days just last week prompted ACHD to issue Allegheny Alerts messages regarding air quality, even announcing Friday that it would begin sending warnings to the Mon Valley when air quality is expected to be unhealthy. In it, ACHD Director Dr. Deborah Bogen wrote: “While we are moving closer to having regulations in place that will require industries to take responsible action during poor air quality days, there have been too many incidents in the past few months to wait any longer. With the urging and support of the County Executive, the department will follow the spirit of the regulations, providing public notice of the potential for poor air quality, or the exceedance of the PM2.5 threshold at the Liberty monitor. We are hopeful that the sources in the Mon Valley will join us in this proactive step, acting responsibly to benefit the community in which they are located.” So, U.S. Steel: This is your chance. It’s your chance to prove that you really *do* care about the Clairton, North Braddock, and other Mon Valley communities that deal with your emissions on a daily basis by putting your proverbial money where your mouth is. “It’s easy for a multi-billion company to feign concern for the community by cutting a five-figure check. It’s quite another thing to dial down production in an effort to limit the emissions being pumped into the community’s air shed during inversions and other conditions known to exacerbate poor air quality,” GASP Executive Director Rachel Filippini said. “We are calling on U.S. Steel to do just that – commit to partnering with the Allegheny County Health Department and do your part to voluntarily mitigate air pollution on expected bad-air days.” We invite you to join us in imploring U.S. Steel to do just that by contacting the company via phone call or email to tell them, “Enough is enough. U.S. Steel must commit to taking voluntary actions to reduce emissions on bad air quality days.” We encourage you to include in your message how air pollution from its facilities has impacted you and your family: Amanda Malkowski External Lead, Operational Communications (412) 433-2512 almalkowski@uss.com John Ambler Vice President, Corporate Communications and Brand Management (412) 433-2407 joambler@uss.com

Allegheny County Health Department's Air Advisory meeting this week approved much-needed episodic weather regulations for public comment. GASP Executive Director Rachel Filippini, who is a member of the committee, lauded the affirmative vote. “This was a long time coming,” she said. “GASP is hopeful that these much-needed regulations will help stave off air pollution from industry sources when bad-air days happen – as they did just this past week.” Monday’s meeting was the second time the episodic weather regulations were before the Air Advisory Committee: The group in February tabled the action item, punting the draft back to ACHD’s regulation subcommittee for more specificity. That subcommittee met late last month and determined that the language was ready for public comment. “I think you’re going to see it’s much-improved,” Regulation Subcommittee Chairman Bob Orchowski told fellow Air Advisory members before ACHD officials presented the newest version of the regs. Here’s what you need to know about the draft regulations: The regulations would require the ACHD Air Quality Program to issue Mon Valley Air Pollution alerts. A “watch” would be issued when atmospheric conditions are expected to cause an exceedance of the national health-based standard for PM2.5 in any of the 32 municipalities in the affected area, with those conditions expected to last for another 24 hours. A “warning” will be issued once that standard has been exceeded and the weather forecast indicates that atmospheric conditions causing the exceedance are expected to persist for at least another 24 hours. For their part, major and minor sources of fine particulate matter pollution like U.S. Steel will be required to create and submit to ACHD for approval a two-tiered action plan to be implemented when these watches and warnings are issued. The “watch” plan must include procedures that ensure the source is “operating in a manner consistent with good engineering and all air pollution control equipment is maintained in good working condition.” During the warning phase, sources will be required to take certain actions to reduce their emissions. ACHD Air Quality Program officials said that could mean reducing transportation, switching or decreasing fuel use, delaying nonessential activities, or reducing, modifying or ceasing certain operations. Next stop for the draft regulation? The Allegheny County Board of Health, which is expected to vote on the matter at its upcoming May 5. If the board votes to approve the regulations, they will be put out for public comment. “GASP looks forward to reviewing the regulation when it finally gets approved for public comment,” Filippini said. “As ACHD noted, there have already been a string of bad-air days in the Mon Valley this spring. We have no time to waste with this.” Filippini, however, cautioned that the real proof is going to be in the plans submitted by industry, how effective those plans are in reducing emissions, and how well they are enforced by the ACHD. “If the plans aren’t effective how quickly can they be modified so that reductions don’t have to wait?” she asked. “We still have substantial questions about the process.”

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) announced in a press release Friday that, beginning on Monday, April 12, it will begin providing public alerts for the Mon Valley when air quality forecasts indicate a potential for poor air quality. The notices are part of regulations currently moving through the Local Health Administration Law process, but the step by ACHD provides notice now for residents in the Mon Valley of the potential for poor air quality. Here’s the release: “While we are moving closer to having regulations in place that will require industries to take responsible action during poor air quality days, there have been too many incidents in the past few months to wait any longer,” said Dr. Debra Bogen, ACHD Director. “With the urging and support of the County Executive, the department will follow the spirit of the regulations, providing public notice of the potential for poor air quality, or the exceedance of the PM2.5 threshold at the Liberty monitor. We are hopeful that the sources in the Mon Valley will join us in this proactive step, acting responsibly to benefit the community in which they are located.” The regulations currently being developed by the Health Department would monitor weather forecasts provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. When atmospheric conditions in those forecasts are projected to exceed a threshold level for the Mon Valley, companies emitting pollutants would be required to implement plans to reduce their emissions. The Mon Valley Air Pollution Episode Regulations also provides for the issuance of a watch or warning based on an air quality forecast. The regulations were reviewed by the Rules Subcommittee of the Air Advisory Committee with the Air Advisory Committee scheduled to consider the regulations at its April meeting. The Board of Health could consider the regulation change and send it out for public comment at its May meeting with final review and approval later this year. The regulations would apply for sources within, or contributing to air quality within, the following municipalities: Braddock, Braddock Hills, Chalfant, Clairton, Dravosburg, Duquesne, East McKeesport, East Pittsburgh, Elizabeth Borough, Elizabeth Township, Forest Hills, Forward, Glassport, Jefferson Hills, Liberty, Lincoln, McKeesport, Munhall, North Braddock, North Versailles, Port Vue, Rankin, Swissvale, Turtle Creek, Versailles, Wall, West Elizabeth, West Mifflin, White Oak, Wilkins, Wilmerding and Whitaker. The alerts will be sent out using Allegheny Alerts which requires a free subscription. Users can select to receive notifications that they select in the manner in which they choose. Options include email, text, phone and a push notification through the app. To receive the Mon Valley Air Pollution Episode alerts, users should select the “Mon Valley Air Pollution Episode” notification under Allegheny County Health Department alerts, for Air. Visit https://alleghenycounty.us/alerts to sign up, or add a subscription, now. “GASP and fellow environmental groups have long called on the health department to do more robust communication around air quality,” GASP Executive Director Rachel Filippini said. “GASP thanks ACHD for its efforts to better inform the community about this important public health issue. But we know bad air travels and hope the department will consider providing a heads up for the entire county because air pollution drifts beyond the borders of the Mon Valley.”

This story was updated at 3:28 p.m. April 8 to include information released by the Allegheny County Health Department via the Allegheny Alerts system. Not subscribed yet? You can sign up to receive them here. Allegheny County tallied two more air quality exceedances Wednesday – one for hydrogen-sulfide (H2S) and the other for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The 24-hour average PM2.5 concentration at Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality monitor in Liberty yesterday was 38.2 ug/m3, exceeding the national health-based standard of 35 ug/m3. For those keeping track: This is the second such exceedance so far in 2021, though both are based on preliminary data. The previous exceedance was March 10 (44.6 ug/m3). The 24-hour average H2S concentration at Liberty Wednesday was 0.009 ppm, nearly twice the state standard. That means there have been exceedances four out of five days at Liberty – 10 in the past 31 days. The latest bout of bad air quality prompted the health department to issue a Mon Valley Watch. In an Allegheny Alert message, ACHD told residents that officials had been in contact with U.S. Steel regarding unhealthy air quality readings and was informed that the company took its three oldest batteries offline. ACHD is requesting additional information from the company to understand the situation. ACHD on Thursday afternoon provided an update to the public regarding the recent bout of bad air: This morning’s PM2.5 values at all monitors are in the moderate range.The Allegheny County Health Department had significant communication with US Steel yesterday and is also looking at all other sources of emissions that could have been responsible for the elevated readings Tuesday evening. The preliminary monitoring data indicates that the high overnight levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) contributed to an exceedance of the 24-hour Federal health standard.More information about fine particulate matter (PM2.5), as well as the current monitored values can be found at: https://www.alleghenycounty.us/Health-Department/Programs/Air-Quality/AirQuality.aspx GASP is following the issue – check back for more updates.

Schools urgently need to rebuild better after years of institutional and facility neglect. For two decades, healthy schools' advocates have stressed the importance of clean indoor school environments to children’s health and ability to learn. Now, with schools reopening after a year of missed learning for too many children, poor air and water quality, misuse of toxic disinfecting products, no infection control plans, and aged ventilating systems are all challenges to staying fully open. In fact, too many schools are ill-equipped to provide clean air during an airborne pandemic. These problems are critical challenges and enormous opportunities to Build Back Better. “Thanks to the Biden Administration and the passage of the American Rescue Plan (ARP), two-year emergency funding is available to schools to improve Indoor Air and address other environmental health hazards. One-hundred million dollars is also available to US EPA to assist states, communities, and schools with their chronic indoor and outdoor air, water, sanitation, and related infrastructure problems,” said Claire Barnett of the New York-based national Healthy Schools Network. GASP joins the Healthy School Networks and myriad partner organizations in sounding the alarm on these chronic air quality issues facing our school children every day – and demanding better. “Children’s exposure to air pollution from nearby industrial sources, as well as diesel exhaust, pesticides, cleaning products, and formaldehyde, can trigger asthma attacks, create new cases of asthma, bring on headaches and nausea, or far worse, cause learning disabilities or cancer,” GASP Executive Director Rachel Filippini said. “Considering more than 50 million American children spend as much as 40 hours a week at school, the quality of that environment can have a significant impact on their health, well-being, and ability to learn.” To underscore the importance of this issue locally, we want to remind readers about a recent peer-reviewed study conducted by Dr. Deborah Gentile which showed children in Allegheny County living near major pollution sources had nearly triple the prevalence of asthma as compared to the national average. The pandemic revealed a shocking lack of coordinated messaging on reopening schools. Today, advocates are calling on the Biden Administration to help schools and children by creating a first-ever Interagency Task Force on Environmental Quality of Schools to consider federal K-12 and child care priorities, strategies, and resources to ensure that all school buildings, especially those in the poorest communities, are ready for the next disaster. In support, Healthy Schools Network is releasing a report of its January 2021 national Summit “COVID, CLIMATE, CHILDREN, AND SCHOOLS” to spur the creation of a national strategy. Former US EPA Administrator and New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman, Co-Chair of the Aspen Institute’s K-12 Climate Initiative who provided opening remarks at the Summit, said: “We have a unique opportunity to help our children, our environment, and build back better by recognizing the opportunity our educational system offers us. From the actual school structures themselves to the lessons in and out of the classroom, this report lays out a path forward that can benefit everyone in a community.” As in previous years, activities to reinforce the National Healthy Schools Day messaging will take place in schools, communities, and cities across the country. A growing list of planned activities is available here: https://tinyurl.com/y92pwpk4.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 3:51 p.m. Monday to include today’s exceedances at the Liberty and North Braddock air quality monitors. High concentrations of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the Mon Valley led to exceedances of the state standard on Saturday and Monday at the Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality monitoring sites in Liberty and North Braddock. For the uninitiated: Hydrogen sulfide is a colorless gas most commonly recognized by its “rotten egg” smell. The most recent spate of bad air came just days after ACHD issued a notice of violation to U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works facility addressing 32 exceedances of the state’s 24-hour average H2S standard that occurred Jan. 2020 through March 2021 in Liberty. The notice precedes any potential enforcement action, which here could include civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation per day. Worth noting is that this notice did not address eight exceedances of the H2S standard that occurred in North Braddock from Dec. 2020 through March 2021. While air quality was fair Sunday, the AQI soared into the red early Monday morning in Clairton, meaning “some members of the general public may experience health effects” and that “members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.” At one point, the Liberty-Clairton area had the second-worst air quality in the nation according to AirNow.gov. The level of fine particle pollution in the Mon Valley was especially concerning early Monday, where PM2.5 surged to 99 ug/m3 from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. at the Liberty monitor. By contrast, PM2.5 levels at ACHD’s other monitors (along the Parkway East and in Avalon and Lawrenceville) showed levels no higher than 17 ug/m3. In fact, ACHD on Monday morning sounded the alarm, tweeting out a series of messages warning the Mon Valley about elevated levels of PM2.5. “We thank the health department for communicating today’s poor air quality to folks in the Mon Valley via social media,” GASP Executive Director Rachel Filippini said. “GASP and others are actively working with ACHD to increase and improve these types of communications and we look forward to more robust messaging in the future.”