In the American Lung Association air pollution report card, Lebanon County was judged to have the lowest amount of yearly high ozone days and the lowest yearly particle pollution ever recorded for the area.
From 2017 to 2019 (the most recent data-collecting period), the weighted average of high ozone days per year was .7 (a decrease from 2.3 in the 2016-2018 period), giving Lebanon an ozone grade of B. The American Lung Association gives areas with a weighted average of three days or lower a passing grade.
In 24 hour particle pollution, Lebanon had a weighted average of 1.7 days per year with unhealthy levels of particle pollution, giving it a C. However, this was an increase from the 2016-2018 period, in which Lebanon’s average was 1. In this category, three days or lower also guarantees a passing grade.
Lebanon’s annual particle pollution, measuring the average concentration of particle pollution over the data collecting period, also showed a slight decrease, from 9.3 in 2016-2018 to 9 in 2017-2019. In this category, a 12 or lower is considered passing.
The Harrisburg-York-Lebanon metro area as a whole also received improved scores in the same categories as Lebanon, as outlined by PennWatch. For information on how the report was compiled, take a look at the American Lung Association’s methodology page here.
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