Good News About Pittsburgh's Air Pollution

Is this blog depressing, or is it just me? When I set out to write the Pittsburgh Smog Blog for a class project, I was among the 65% of Pittsburgh residents who believed that our region's air pollution was not a big deal. So finding out that the air my child and I are breathing is among the most polluted in the country came as quite a shock.

But there is some good news. This Thanksgiving week, I'd like to take some time to tell you the top 5 reasons why I believe Pittsburgh is on the right track...


#1. Governor-elect Tom Wolf: Democrat Tom Wolf won the election this month and environmentalists are breathing a huge sigh of relief. Wolf ran on a platform of imposing tougher regulations on Marcellus Shale drillers and other groups with environmental impacts; his predecessor Tom Corbett has been viewed as being lax on regulations and putting profit before environmental issues. It will be interesting to see how things change when Wolf takes office in January 2015!


#2. Mayor Bill Peduto: Pittsburgh's new mayor is known to be a friend to the environment. While serving on city council, he was a vocal supporter of legislation aimed at making Pittsburgh a cleaner, greener city. As mayor, his "100 Days; 100 Policies to Change Pittsburgh" features a number of policies focused on sustainability.

Pennsylvania Governor-elect Tom Wolf (left) and
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto (right) courtesy of YouTube

#3. Particle pollution levels down: while Pittsburgh's fine particle pollution is still at dangerous levels, the 2014 American Lung Association "State of the Air" report shows it at its lowest level in fifteen years. This is due in part to switching some power plants from coal to gas burning, and cleaner burning diesel engines (see #5). So the overall news isn't great but at least we are headed in the right direction!


#4. Bicycle commuting on the rise: Mayor Bill Peduto has vowed to make Pittsburgh into "a cycling mecca." He's even hired a Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator, and inconvenienced countless Pittsburghers by closing down local roads to build bike lanes. But I don't mind the temporary shut-downs (or driving behind a slow moving bike when I'm running late)...more bikes mean less air pollution!

Source: bikepgh.org

#5. Cleaner vehicle emissions: responding to federal regulations, Allegheny County has been busy installing new filters and in some cases new engines on PAT buses, school buses, garbage and municipal trucks, and others. These retrofits are estimated to reduce emissions from these vehicles by 90%. While there are still many vehicles on the road that do not meet current standards, the reduction in particle pollution is a step in the right direction and a step away from this:

This photo of a barely visible truck shrouded in a cloud of smoke
(and headed towards the Kennywood sign) courtesy of GASP

Where There's Smoke, There's Pollution

I've never lived in a house with a working fireplace, but like many people I absolutely love the smells, sights, and sounds of a roaring fire. Walking into my house the other day on a chilly day, I smelled the unmistakable aroma of burning wood from a neighbor's fireplace and felt an immediate rush of joy. But that joy quickly turned into a curiosity about what it is I'm actually inhaling.

Source: britannica.com

• 52% of US homes have at least one fireplace or wood burning stove.

• Fireplace owners report that they typically use their fireplaces 52 times per year.

• Fireplaces rank second among top features desired by home buyers.

• 55% of new home builds include a fireplace.

• Pittsburgh homes have nearly 300,000 fireplaces.

Wood Burning

"The passion for wood fire is real and is a strong marketing force," according to Walter Moberg, president of Moberg Fireplaces and quoted in this 2006 marketing report. Moberg states that our affinity for natural, organic fire is embedded in the human psyche and remains a vital part of our culture. But according to health experts, if you can smell wood smoke, you are breathing pollution that is hazardous to your health.  The graphic below shows how wood burning emissions compares to other sources of pollution. 

Source: Puget Sound Clean Air Agency

Health Effects of Wood Burning

Wood smoke is made up of particulate matter (microscopic particles) and gases. Particulate matter (PM) can get into your eyes and respiratory system, where it can cause acute health problems such as burning eyes, runny nose, and respiratory illnesses. Toxic chemicals emitted during wood burning include benzene, formaldehyde, acrolein, carbon monoxide, dioxin, methane, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Many of these are known carcinogens.

Wood burning fireplaces are associated with the development and/or worsening of the following chronic health problems:

• Asthma: inhaling small particles can trigger asthma attacks. 

• Cancer: EPA researchers say wood smoke is worse than cigarette smoke. 

• Cardiovascular disease: fine particles travel deep into the lungs or into the bloodstream and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. Even small amounts of PM can aggravate health problems for those with pre-existing conditions.

• COPD or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: researchers suggest wood smoke has been causing COPD since ancient times: this article notes that evidence of COPD has been found in mummified remains.

• Ear infections: one study found that children breathing the highest levels of wood smoke were 32% more likely to have a doctor visit for a middle-eat infection than those breathing the lowest levels. 

• Respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis and pneumonia.

• Children are at particularly high risk for health effects from wood smoke because they breathe in more air in proportion to their size than adults. Kids who breathe wood smoke regularly show higher rates of asthma and other respiratory effects, pneumonia, and sleep disturbances. 

Source: EPA

What You Can Do

It is nearly impossible to avoid all wood smoke from fireplaces. Even if you do not have a fireplace in your home, the particulate matter from your neighbor's wood smoke is so small that windows and doors cannot keep it out. If you do have a fireplace, the following guidelines from the EPA can help keep your air safer. 

• Choose only EPA-certified wood-burning appliances.

• Make sure wood-burning equipment is properly installed, inspected, and maintained.

• Avoid smoldering fires. 

• Use only dry, seasoned firewood, split to the right size.

• Reduce the need for fuel by making your home more energy efficient.

Learn more at Burn Wise.

Coal Remains Pittsburgh's Top Pollutant

In my previous post, I noted that Pittsburgh has the 6th worst air pollution in the US and scores a failing grade for ozone. Whenever I mention Pittsburgh's poor air quality to anyone, the first question they ask is "Why?" I was surprised to find that as in the past, our current top polluter is coal. Specifically, coal-fired power plants, which we will discuss at length below. 

Types of Air Pollution

According to the Breathe Project, there are three main categories for air pollution in our region: 

• Ground-level ozone
• Particle pollution
• Air toxics

Ozone: Ozone, or smog, is a gas formed when oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds react chemically with heat and sunlight. The precursors to ozone are emitted by sources such as power plants, coke and steel making plants, refineries, chemical plants, motor vehicles, and others. This "bad" ozone should not be confused with the "good" ozone in the stratosphere.

Source: EPA

Particulate matter: Particulate pollution is a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. Some particles such as dust, dirt, soot, and smoke can be seen with the naked eye. Smaller particles can only be detected with an electron microscope. Sources of particulate matter include construction sites, unpaved roads, smokestacks, fires, power plants, and motor vehicles. The figure below illustrates the size of particulate matter.

Air toxics: These are hazardous air pollutants that can cause cancer, reproductive effects, and birth defects, among other health issues. Examples include benzene (found in gasoline), perchloroethylene (used in some dry cleaning), and heavy metals (emitted by coal-fired power plants).

Our Region's Coal Problem

The Sierra Club reports that the state's 31 coal-fired power plants are the single largest source of pollution in a 10-county region of southwestern Pennsylvania. Specifically, 64% of the particulate matter in this region results from electrical generation. No other single source contributes more than 10% of the total. 

Coal-fired units produce electricity by burning coal in a boiler to heat water to produce steam. At tremendous pressure, the steam flows into a turbine, which spins a generator to produce electricity. 

Source: Tennessee Valley Authority

Coal-burning power plants release millions of pounds of toxic pollutants into the air every year. Notably, they emit 84 of the 187 hazardous air pollutants identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as posing a threat to human health and the environment including:

• Dioxins
• Metals such as mercury, arsenic, chromium, lead, nickel, and cadmium
• Formaldyhyde
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
• Volatile organic compounds including benzene, tolulene, and xylene
• Acid gases such as hydrogen chloride, and hydrogen fluoride
• Small amounts of radioactive materials such as radium, thorium, and uranium
• Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which react with precipitation to form acid rain

Southwestern Pennsylvania's Biggest Polluters

The Pittsburgh Business Times lists the following plants as the top 10 air polluters in our region:

• US Steel Clairton Works, Clairton
• NRG Energy, Cheswick
• US Steel Edgar Thomson Works, Braddock
• US Steel Irvin Works, West Mifflin
• Shenango, Inc,, Neville Island
• Guardian Industries, Jefferson Hills
• Allegheny Ludlum, Brackenridge
• Allegheny Energy Supply, Springdale
• Bay Valley Foods, Pittsburgh
• Allied Waste Systems, Imperial

The Breathe Project features an online map of polluters on its website. Beneath is a screenshot of the map, featuring US Steel's Edgar Thomson plant, which is just a few miles from my house. Click here to see which plants are near you or to get more information about the industries and pollutants.

Geography

Even if you don't live close to a plant, your air quality is still affected. While people living near large sources of pollution are at particular risk, the problem is not confined to these areas. Nine out of 10 of the air quality monitors in Allegheny County rank in the worst third in the nation for particle pollution. Six out of 10 fall among the worst 10% in the country. According to Harvard environmental epidemiology professor Joel Schwartz, southwestern Pennsylvania is in an "unfortunate position" because it produces considerable industrial pollution, is downwind from industrial and utility plants in Ohio that produce pollutants, and has hills and valleys that trap bad air. 

The Good News/Looking Ahead

There is some good news for Pittsburgh residents. While our air quality is bad, the amount of fine particulate matter in our air is improving and is the lowest it has been since 2000. This is due in part to some plants switching from coal to natural gas. More clean burning diesel engines help too. The government is also fighting to impose stricter regulations on these plants, which is being met with opposition. These regulations and the fight against them will be the next topic in the Pittsburgh Smog Blog. 

Introduction

My name is Heather Rockwell and I'm a mom, an animal lover, a grad student, and a third generation Pittsburgher.  I've heard the stories of Pittsburgh's smoky past throughout my life, but growing up in the suburbs in the 1970s and 80s the only smoke I saw was trailing from the tips of my parents' menthol Salem cigarettes. While I am aware that every city has its environmental challenges, I have long assumed that Pittsburgh's significant environmental problems are mostly a thing of the past. They're not.

Photo courtesy of the University of Pittsburgh

Downtown Pittsburgh circa 1940, corner of Liberty and Fifth Avenues 8:38 AM, when coal smoke blocked the morning sun. 

Pittsburgh is certainly making great strides in leaving behind our reputation as "hell with the lid taken off," but we still have a long way to go. Here are some recent facts & figures:

• Top 10 Most Polluted: According to the American Lung Association's "State of the Air 2014" report, the Pittsburgh-New Castle area ranks 6th in the country for particle pollution.

• F Grade: In the same report, Allegheny County received a failing grade for ozone in the air. 

• Drinking Water: In a ranking by the Environmental Working Group that looked at EPA data for large American cities, Pittsburgh ranks 32nd and 73rd (depending on the water utility) out of 100 for water quality. Studies found unhealthy (and sometimes illegal) levels of certain chemicals in local drinking water.

The Pittsburgh Smog Blog is not just about smog. While air quality is certainly a significant problem for our region, I will also discuss other local environmental trends, identify industries and practices that contribute to our problems, discuss health implications, and examine what the research says. Anything and anyone related to our local environment is up for discussion and suggestions are welcome!