DC air quality improves despite heat

The D.C air quality improved dramatically over last summer, despite it being one of the hottest summers on record. The news comes with the AAA reporting that more commuters are driving cars in the region than they did 25 years ago. There were eight days with temperatures over 100 degrees, and 52 days with temperatures over 90 degrees. Despite the high temps only three days were code red days. “This is great news for anybody that breathes” said an AAA spokesman. “What’s coming out of the tailpipe right now is actually 96 percent cleaner than it was 25 years ago.”

The region gets significant air pollution from smoke stacks in the Ohio river valley area. “Code Red Days can mean more asthma attacks for children, increases in cardiovascular disease and breathing problems for adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),” says the president of Breathe DC. While the quality of air pollution has improved, there is still room to grow. “We still experienced nearly a month’s worth of unhealthy air quality days so far this year,” Desimone said.