January 28, 2020, CBS Local, Denver https://denver.cbslocal.com/2020/01/28/denver-brown-cloud-air-pollution/
Denver is ranking in the top five in the U.S. when it comes to poor air quality. That’s according to a new report from an auto insurance company that analyzed data from the Environmental Protection Agency.
The report from buyautoinsurance.com found that the Denver metro area had an average of 274 days of moderate or unhealthy air quality for those in sensitive groups.
Last fall, Gov. Jared Polis designated the air quality in the Denver metro area as serious in hopes of pushing legislation that would force companies to cut emissions.
Coming in first in the report is San Bernardino, Calif. with Denver ranking fourth behind Phoenix and Los Angeles.
#4 – Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO
- Median AQI: 64
- Max AQI: 174
- Good air quality: 83 days per year
- Moderate or unhealthy for sensitive groups: 274 days per year
- Unhealthy, very unhealthy, or hazardous: 8 days per year
- Most common pollutant: Ozone
#3 – Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
- Median AQI: 77
- Max AQI: 201
- Good air quality: 35 days per year
- Moderate or unhealthy for sensitive groups: 310 days per year
- Unhealthy, very unhealthy, or hazardous: 20 days per year
- Most common pollutant: Ozone
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#2 – Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
- Median AQI: 77
- Max AQI: 996
- Good air quality: 42 days per year
- Moderate or unhealthy for sensitive groups: 304 days per year
- Unhealthy, very unhealthy, or hazardous: 19 days per year
- Most common pollutant: Coarse particulate matter (PM10)
#1 – Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Median AQI: 97
- Max AQI: 296
- Good air quality: 25 days per year
- Moderate or unhealthy for sensitive groups: 275 days per year
- Unhealthy, very unhealthy, or hazardous: 65 days per year
- Most common pollutant: Ozone
Methodology & Detailed Findings
Statistics on annual levels of air pollutants by metropolitan area for 2018 were obtained from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. For each metro, the EPA calculates a daily index value for each pollutant.
The highest of those index values are reported as the daily Air Quality Index (AQI) value, and the pollutant responsible for the highest index value is considered the main pollutant for the day. For each metro, the median of the daily AQI values is reported as the overall measure of air quality for the year—the median AQI.
Additionally, for each metro, the pollutant listed as the main pollutant for the greatest number of days in the year is listed as the most common pollutant in that metro. PM10 and PM2.5 represent coarse and fine particulate matter, respectively.
To improve relevance, metropolitan areas were grouped into the following cohorts based on population size:
- Large: 1,000,000 or more
- Midsize: 350,000-999,999
- Small: 100,000-349,999
Metros were ordered by their median AQI. In the event of a tie, both the maximum annual AQI and the number of unhealthy, very unhealthy, or hazardous days were considered.
