Breathe It In: Bergen County Just Failed A National Smog Test

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Breathe it in, Bergen County, the air you breathe just failed a test from the American Lung Association.

Bergen is one of just two New Jersey counties to receive a failing grade for the recent high number of smog-ridden days in the newly released "State of the Air 2023" report.

The northern Jersey region registered 15 days between 2019 and 2021 when the air was unhealthy for sensitive groups, namely people who live with adult asthma, pulmonary disease or lung cancer.

This dour news for Bergen air was tempered with some good. There were no days reported to be generally unhealthy or outright hazardous.

Smog is categorized in the report as ozone pollution, "one of the most dangerous pollutants in the U.S.," according to the study.

Ozone pollution — created when fossil fuels are burned, then cooked in sunlight — can cause inflammation, damage organs and shorten lives.

Bergen County, albeit the most populous New Jersey county, has the highest number of recorded residents who face greater risk from air pollution.

"The good news is that ozone pollution has generally improved across the nation, thanks in large part to the success of the Clean Air Act," said Harold Wimmer, the ALA's national president and CEO. "In this year’s report, we found that 19.3 million fewer people are living in areas with unhealthy levels of ozone pollution."

Bergen County is no exception to this positive trend.

Since the 2016-18 period, the annual weighted average number of high ozone days has steadily decreased to 5 from 9.8.

“However, the fact is that 120 million people still live in places with unhealthy air pollution," CEO Wimmer said. "This is why it is crucial to continue our efforts to ensure that every person in the U.S. has clean air to breathe.”

In another flicker of light for Bergen, the county was given a "B" grade for the annual weighted average of high-particle days (0.3); this is 1.9 days fewer than it was at the turn of the century. In fact, Bergen had only a single "orange" day from 2019 through 2021, the report said.

Particle pollution, also known as particulate matter, comes from wildfires, wood-burning stoves, coal-fired power plants, diesel engines and other sources. The microscopic particles can trigger asthma attacks, heart attacks and strokes, and cause cancer, the ALA said.

Bergen was one of eight New Jersey Counties with a "B" grade for short-term spikes in particle pollution. Data was listed incomplete for the purposes of calculating a grade for the annual average "year-round" level.

In concluding the report, the ALA said the organization is calling on President Joe Biden to "urgently move forward" on measures to clean up pollution nationwide, including new limits on ozone and particle pollution, and action to make power plants and cars cleaner.