The Baton Rouge metropolitan area is ranked 16th in the American Lung Association State of the Air 2003 report. The report, released Thursday, cites the 25 most ozone-polluted cities in the United States.
It is the third time in three years Baton Rouge has ranked in the top 25, including rankings of 24th in 2001 and 17th in 2002.
Michael Hooks, assistant director of the Office of Occupational and Environmental Safety, said a lot of factors go into determining ozone pollution, but local industry, such as power plants, weather and automobiles contribute the most.
Janice Nolen, director of national policy for the American Lung Association, said ozone forms from a mixture of hydrocarbon vapors and nitrogen oxide with sunlight and heat.
The report’s rankings were compiled from data received by the Environmental Protection Agency from 1999 through 2001, Nolen said.
Mike McDaniel, executive director of the Baton Rouge Clean Air Coalition, said Baton Rouge is presently in a “non-compliance” condition with the EPA because of its poor ozone.
Non-compliance is a term given to cities which exceed “safe” levels of ozone one time a year. When cities average more than one “exceedance” per year over a three-year period the area is deemed in a non-compliance condition, McDaniel said.
McDaniel said the city is very close to becoming in compliance with standards and hopes it can be accomplished this summer.
Baton Rouge presently has an ozone action plan in place that attempts to combat days when ozone levels rise to severe standards, McDaniel said.
LSU, Southern, all state agencies and some major local businesses are monitoring the plan.
When the area is measured at unhealthy standards, alerts are sent out to inform residents with respiratory problems, such as asthma, to limit prolonged outdoor exertion.
On those unhealthy days, the Office of Occupational and Environmental Safety says students should try to carpool or ride the bus to cut down on car emissions, which Hooks said is the biggest factor affecting the ozone.
Hooks said if students want to check the three-day ozone level forecast they can do so by going to www.deq.state.la.us/evaluation/ozone/oz_today.asp.