For the third consecutive year, the American Lung Association has rated North Dakota's air quality as very poor.
The Association's annual State of the Air report gives five North Dakota counties failing grades when it comes to particulate matter in the air - Burke, Burleigh, Dunn, Mercer and Williams counties all were rated F. Billings, McKenzie and Oliver counties were rated D. And Cass County, who received the best rating, was still only graded at C. Robert Moffit is a spokesman for the American Lung Association in North Dakota. He says this State of the Air report measured air quality from 2015 to 2017, and wildfires in Canada and in western states definitely impacted air quality here in North Dakota. He says despite the uncontrollable nature of wildfires, there are still steps we can take to improve air quality.
"As more and more cars and other vehicles get onto the roads, and traffic increases, we can make some choices to look at vehicles that are a little more fuel efficient, perhaps a hybrid vehicle or one that can run on alternative fuels like E-85 or biodeisel. And also, on days when the air quality is not so great, it's probably not a great idea to fire up the lawnmower or the backyard grill. That all contributes to poor air quality in urban areas."
Moffitt says we can often take air quality for granted, but both long term and short term exposure to particulate matter can exacerbate underlying health issues like asthma, or contribute to conditions like heart disease.