2025 State of the Air Report says wildfire smoke has impacted air quality in Pittsburgh (2025)

JANELLE. MICHELLE, GOOD MORNING TO YOU BOTH. JANELLE. YOU’RE EXACTLY RIGHT. THIS IMPACTS EVERYONE. THE AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION SAYS IF YOU HAVE LUNGS, IF YOU BREATHE AIR, YOU SHOULD BE CONCERNED BY THESE NUMBERS. NOW THE NUMBERS ARE RELEASED IN WHAT’S CALLED THE STATE OF THE AIR REPORT BY THE AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION. AND ITS FINDINGS AREN’T GREAT FOR THE GREATER PITTSBURGH REGION. THAT REGION INCLUDES, OF COURSE, THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH, BUT THEN ALSO STEUBENVILLE, OHIO, AND WEIRTON, WEST VIRGINIA. NOW THAT AREA RANKS 16TH WORST IN THE COUNTRY FOR DAILY PARTICLE POLLUTION, PLACING IT BACK ON THE LIST OF THE 25 MOST POPULATED CITIES. IN COMPARISON, LAST YEAR WE WERE JUST OUTSIDE OF THE TOP 25 WORST RANKING AT 26. SO THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT SETBACK. ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION. THE AREA EARNED A D RANKING FOR OZONE SMOG. IT WAS ALSO RANKED THE WORST IN THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION FOR BOTH DAILY AND YEAR ROUND PARTICLE POLLUTION. A BIG FACTOR IN THIS NEW RANKING IS WILDFIRE SMOKE. LAST YEAR, THE AREA YOU KNOW HAD, I DON’T KNOW, AROUND 20 SOME DAYS WITHOUT THE WILDFIRE EVENT IN THE REPORT. SO IT DOES GIVE YOU AN IDEA THAT THERE’S THERE’S A CONTINUING PROBLEM THAT THE AREA IS DEALING WITH. AND THEY SAY MORE WORK NEEDS TO BE DONE, NEEDS TO BE DONE. HOWEVER, THESE NUMBERS IN THIS NEW DATA COMES AT A TIME WHEN CUTS CONTINUE TO BE HAD ACROSS GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. THAT INCLUDES THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY. ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION, THEY ARE URGING EVERYONE WHO HAS CONCERNS TO REACH OUT TO THEIR PUBLIC ELECTED OFFICIALS. REPORTING LIVE THIS MORNING I