Louisiana has the highest air pollution of any state in the nation, according to 2019 data from the Environmental Protection Agency. And it’s taking a toll on residents. 

High levels of air pollution cause an estimated 85 new cancer cases a year in Louisiana, according to a 2022 study by the Tulane Law Environmental Clinic. Louisiana’s petrochemical belt along the Mississippi River, dubbed “Cancer Alley,” has long been a source of health complaints from the predominantly Black residents who reside along the industrial plants.

That belt stretches from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. Where does that leave LSU in terms of air quality?

According to HouseFresh, a team of air quality experts LSU’s air quality is typically fine, with a median air quality index year-round of 38, well within what the federal government considers “good,” which is the best possible category to be in. This means that on a normal day on campus, the air quality is no cause for concern. 

Abnormal days, however, happen—the most common of which you’ve probably already experienced.

They’re called “temperature inversions,” and they’re the reason some days you’ll step outside, and the air will be hazy and give off the faint smell of sulfur, according to Paul Miller, an associate professor at the College of Coast and Environment specializing in meteorology. Simply put, it’s when the air temperature above the ground is warmer than the temperature at the ground, the inverse of what it should be.

“Because the air at the surface is very cold, it’s very stable, so that air isn’t able to rise because as it attempts to rise into the atmosphere, it runs into air that is warmer than itself and it gets forced back to its original position,” Miller said. “That means that there’s very little mixing occurring, that any pollution that is emitted into those conditions will just sit and accumulate and then stay where they are.”

In LSU’s case, those trapped emissions are from vehicles and chemical refineries along the Mississippi River, thus the sulfuric scent, Miller said. He estimates temperature inversions happen in LSU’s region roughly a couple dozen times a year. 

But there’s another source of air contaminants originating from one of the most recognizable parts of campus: the University Lakes.

LSU’s lakes are home to the 10th most toxic algal bloom in the world, according to a study conducted by BlueGreen Water Technologies. 

When these blooms begin to rot away, the bacteria released can have serious impacts on the lungs, throats and eyes of anyone who smells the “rotting green slime,” according to an official from the company interviewed by WDSU. The blooms are suspected to be caused by fertilizer runoff from nearby lawns.

The university has partnered with the state and city for a lake restoration project. This effort, currently in phase one, includes dredging five of the six lakes around the university and improving paths for bikers and pedestrians. 

The project has garnered $50 million in committed funding from various sources, according to the project website. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be accepting public comments on the plan until Feb. 8.

The project could mean safer travel and air for those who enjoy the century-old, man-made lakes.

But toxic algae blooms aren’t the only thing causing air quality problems at LSU. An environmental event from across the sea can affect air quality here in Baton Rouge.

Such an event happened just this summer, as a wind carried dust from the Saharan Desert across the Atlantic Ocean and into the southeast, Miller said. The effects the storm had were impossible to miss, as a brown haze hung over the area and the air in the region took a concerning dip in quality.

“There were air quality advisories issued for this day. Again, that’s not pollution, but the presence of dust in the atmosphere can cause people with respiratory conditions like asthma to have an asthma attack,” Miller said, who has recently been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to study these Saharan dust storms.

Such storms aren’t necessarily uncommon, but the extent of dust that reached the southeast was rare, Miller said.

Simpler reasons, like inefficient air conditioning, can impact air quality, too.

“In enclosed spaces such as classrooms, the air quality can decrease due to inadequate air movement,” said Kalliat Valsaraj, a professor of chemical engineering at the university.

Special cases aside, the university’s campus still manages an acceptable air quality in a state that suffers from heavy air pollution.