Snohomish County receives an F on air quality report card

EVERETT — Summer and wildfire season seem far away as an unusually cool April lingers. But remember October 2022, when warm, stagnant air trapped wildfire smoke across the Puget Sound? Darrington recorded the dirtiest air in the country, and the region endured the worst air quality in the world.

According to the American Lung Association’s annual “state of the air” report released last week, that short-term pollution, measured as “high particle days” lands nearby Bellingham and Seattle-Tacoma among the worst metropolitan areas in the country. No cities in Snohomish County received a national ranking, but the county itself received a grade of F. Eleven other counties measured, including King and Whatcom, also failed.

That particle pollution, or particulate matter, is bad for everyone, regardless of age and underlying health conditions. It comes from many sources, including factories, and diesel- and gasoline-powered vehicles and equipment. The other source of particle pollution — smoke and ash from wildfires and wood stoves — is the main driver of the region’s high particle days.

Carrie Nyssen, senior director of advocacy with the American Lung Association, said the report is a mix of good and bad news for the region.

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/snohomish-county-receives-an-f-on-air-quality-report-card/