Report: State air quality is better

Pollution levels continue to drop

South Florida’s air quality has improved dramatically since the late1990s, as tougher federal rules for power plants and automobile exhaust reduced emissions of harmful pollutants, according to the American Lung Association’s latest report on the nation’s air quality.

The number of days of excessive ground-level ozone, or smog, in Broward County fell from an average of seven per year in the last ‘90s to less than one per year in the latest report, which covers the years 2011 through 2013. In Miami-Dade County, they fell from eight to less than one, and in Palm Beach County, they fell from five to less than one.

The improvements reflect nationwide drops in air pollution, as cars ran cleaner and smokestacks emitted a lower volume of harmful chemicals.

“Thanks to stronger standards for pollutants and for the sources of pollution, the United States has seen continued reduction in ozone and particle pollution as well as other pollutants for decades,” the report states. “….Since 1970, the air has gotten cleaner while the population, the economy, energy use and miles driven increased greatly.”

Smog, formed from vehicle exhausts, power plant pollution and other sources, has been linked to lung disease, heart disease, asthma and premature deaths, according to the lung association. The association gave grades of B