Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report

All of Allegheny County's air-monitoring sites --- including those that sample the air around U.S. Steel's Clairton Coke Works --- met federal standards for certain fine particles of pollution for the first time last year.

"This is a significant milestone for Allegheny County, especially at the Liberty (Borough) air monitoring site, which historically has had the highest pollution levels in the county and was the only monitoring location until now not to meet all federal standards for fine particulate pollution," said Dr. Karen Hacker, director of the county Health Department.

"It marks a huge leap forward in our efforts to improve air quality," she said. "While our work is far from finished, we are proud to say that air quality in Allegheny County is the best it's been since the industrial revolution."

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets standards for certain pollutants that look at the impact of pollution levels on public health. The standard now being met county-wide is for so-called PM2.5 particles --- tiny particles of pollution that are so small they can penetrate the lungs and affect other organs of the body.

"We are very proud of this milestone and I commend the Health Department and the Board of Health for their diligence in continuing to work towards better air quality for our county," Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said. "Working cooperatively, we can continue to improve our region's environment by taking advantage of opportunities provided by our partners in the foundation community, business community and environmental community."

Although concentrations of PM2.5 measured at the Liberty Borough site in 2013 remain the highest in the county, they were still within federal air-quality standards for the first time. The standard was tightened in 2012.

Lower concentrations were measured at seven other sites in Avalon, Clairton, North Braddock, Harrison, Lawrenceville, North Park and South Fayette.

Three consecutive years of monitoring data at or below the PM2.5 limits are required for an area to be declared in "attainment" of federal air quality standards. All of the monitoring sites --- except Liberty Borough --- are already in attainment of the PM2.5 standards. The county faces a 2020 deadline, mandated by the EPA, to achieve attainment in Liberty as well, but county officials say PM2.5 levels are expected to continue on a downward trend.