In the summer, where ozone levels tend to be most severe, 22 percent of days that exceed US “good” AQI standards were a result of high ozone. Why does Columbus have unhealthy air quality?Ĭolumbus unhealthy air quality is largely attributable to two pollutants: fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone.Īccording to the Central Ohio Air Report, a majority of days in Central Ohio from November 2018 to October 2019 experienced “good’ US Air Quality Index (AQI) levels. In order to meet these more stringent targets and better serve sensitive groups, Columbus will need to implement additional emission standards to drive down the presence of ozone precursor pollutants, nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), to combat the effects of a warming climate.įollow Columbus air quality data at the top of this page or on the IQAir AirVisual app for the most current health data and advisories. 3 The new standard better serves children, the elderly, and people with heart and lung conditions, who are all categorized as “sensitive” to air pollution. EPA lowered allowable levels from to 75 ppb to 70 ppb. National ozone standards became more stringent in 2015, when the U.S. Correlating to the increased temperatures, 4 of the 5 highest ozone days also occurred this month, with the fifth occurring on June 28. July was the hottest month of the year in 2019 (2.9☏ higher than the month average from 2007 to 2016), with below-average precipitation. From July to October, Columbus experienced hotter temperatures in 2019 than the average of temperatures in the last decade from 2007 to 2016. As climate change drives temperatures higher, ozone formation becomes accelerated. This recent gain in ozone concentrations may, however, be more indicative of weather than emissions. While the number of unhealthy ozone days have been on the decline in recent years, “moderate” ozone levels, which exceed federal “good” standards but are not classified as “unhealthy,” increased from 18 percent in 2018 to 21 percent in 2019. 1 Columbus air quality has in fact never met this ozone target. While such optimistic annual ratings show general success in keeping air pollution levels low, it only takes several hours of elevated air pollution levels to cause adverse health effects in the general public.įrom 2016 to 2018, Franklin County, of which Columbus is the county seat, experienced a weighted average of 4.3 unhealthy ozone days annually, exceeding the federal target allowing no more than 3.2 unhealthy days a year. Similar “good” ratings have been achieved each year in Columbus since 2012. In 2019, Columbus air quality index (AQI) averaged an annual score of 37 or “good.” The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) describes “good” air quality as air that generally poses little to no health risk. What is the air quality in Columbus Ohio?Ĭolumbus air quality is generally clean.

Columbus ohio news and weather