More than 3.0 million Virginians live in areas where the air they breathe puts them at risk. This finding from the American Lung Association's State of the Air 2006 report means that more than 1/3 of Virginians live in areas with monitors are breathing in unhealthy amounts of ozone, a powerful respiratory irritant, which is the primary ingredient in the smog that regularly blankets many urban areas during the summer months. A large percentage of those at greatest risk of breathing problems - children, the elderly, and those with chronic lung disease - are living in counties with the highest levels of ozone.

In 2000, the American Lung Association initiated its State of the Air annual assessment to provide citizens with easy-to-understand air pollution summaries of the quality of the air in their communities that are based on concrete data and sound science. Cities and counties are assigned grades ranging from "A" through "F" based on how often their air quality crosses into the "unhealthful" categories of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Air Quality Index for ground-level ozone (smog) pollution. The Air Quality Index is, in turn, based on the national air quality standards. The air quality standard for ozone used as the basis for this report, 80 parts per billion averaged over an eight-hour period, was adopted by the EPA in 1997 based on the most recent health effects information. The grades in the report are assigned based on the quality of the air in specific areas, and do not reflect an assessment of efforts to implement controls that improve air quality.

To see how Virginia fared in this annual report card go to:

Virginia State of the Air Report 2006
Air Quality Information from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Air Quality Information from the U.S Environmental Protection Agency