Did you know that after Vermont, RI had the least unsafe smog days last year (2010) of all the states in the northeastern region? That's the good news! But were you also aware that there were still 6 days in the Providence and New London, Ct. region when concentration of ground level ozone (main component of smog) exceeded Environmental Protection Agency 75 parts per billion standard? That's the bad news and it gets worse: experts now say that the EPA standards set in 2008 are at a level too low to protect the public health. Many believe that the safer level would be 60 to 70 ppb.
Smog in the air is harmful to humans since it can lead to asthma attacks and exacerbate respiratory illness in susceptible individuals. Children, the elderly and people with pre-existing respiratory illnesses are the most at risk. Even unborn children of pregnant women can be affected as they may suffer from lower birth weight and growth problems as a result of maternal exposure to bad air. And even among healthy adults, repeated exposure to smog over time may damage lung tissue and affect our breathing ability.
Pollution from smog is created when by-products from cars, trucks and other vehicles as well as power plants and industrial facilities react with pollutants in the presence of sunlight. One can actually see smog - it's that pinkish, grayish low lying cloud on the horizon and above.
In 2005 RI along with 9 other northern states entered into an agreement to limit emissions of carbon dioxide from power plants. This initiative is known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and it's the first mandatory cap on global warming pollution anywhere in the US. It acknowledges that our dependence on coal, oil and gas pollutes air and water and harms public health.
For an official rating on any given day you can go to http://www.demri.gov/programs/benviron/air/ The RI DEM provides daily ozone forecasts from April to September and daily fine particle forecasts year round.
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