Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

MORPC: No Air Quality Alerts Issued This Year

The Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission says it did not issue any air quality alerts for smog this year for the first time in two decades. The agency credits cooler summer weather and a reduction in vehicle emissions during the season that runs from April through October. The alerts are issued when smog in the air reaches levels that pose a risk for the elderly, children, and people with breathing problems. The average ozone level this year was 75 parts per billion, which is above newly-proposed U.S. EPA standards on ozone, which is the key ingredient of smog. The new standards would be up to 70 parts per billion. Smog levels were last revised in 2008.

Jim has been with WCBE since 1996. Before that he worked as a reporter at another Columbus radio station, and for three newspapers in Southwest Florida.
Related Content