The American Lung Association released a report Wednesday on the nation's air quality, showing that although Bay Area air still qualifies as some of the nation's worst, the region has made progress in reducing ozone and particle pollution.
Using data collected from 2011 to 2013, the 16th annual "State of the Air 2015" report ranked all major metropolitan areas in the U.S. in three different lists: ozone pollution, short-term particle pollution and annual particle pollution.
Although the Bay Area didn't top the list with the most ozone pollution, it ranked sixth in the nation with the most short-term particle pollution and seventh with the most annual particle pollution. The report included San Joaquin County as part of the Greater Bay Area region.
However, the report found that with the exception of San Joaquin County, unhealthy ozone days have fallen by 86 percent since the ALA's 2000 report.
Despite a spike in annual and daily unhealthy particle pollution in Bay Area counties because of ongoing drought-related weather conditions, increases in particle pollution days have dropped by 74 percent since the 2004 report, according to lung association officials.
All Bay Area counties except San Joaquin County received passing grades for year-round particle pollution, according to the report.
"Bay Area residents can certainly be proud of the tremendous progress made in cleaning up the air since the first State of the Air report 16 years ago," Dr. Benson Chen, a San Francisco critical care and pulmonary specialist and volunteer physician for the ALA, said in a statement.
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"However, there's still a lot of work to be done to make our air healthy for everyone to breathe," Chen said.
According to lung association officials, Bay Area air quality has improved as a result of more stringent vehicle emission standards, diesel pollution controls and restrictions on wood burning.
Transportation sources make up the majority of pollution in the Bay Area, although wood smoke is the top source of particle pollution during the winter, ALA officials said.
Solutions for the region include expanding wood burning controls, investing in sustainable zero- and near zero-emission freight technologies, expanding the use of zero-emission vehicles and fuels and focusing community planning on walking, biking and transit alternatives, ALA officials said.
"Particle pollution remains a pervasive public health threat in many areas of the Bay Area, contributing to hospitalizations, emergency room visits and deaths every year to our most vulnerable citizens-children, seniors and those with lung disease such as lung cancer, asthma, chronic bronchitis or emphysema," Chen said.
"We need stronger controls on wood burning and diesel emissions to improve health and quality of life for everyone," he said.
