In a 2022 State of the Air report, Honolulu reached top honors for clean air. But not all parts of the islands are so clean, as one resident of the Big Island shares her health struggles.
HONOLULU (KITV4)- The American Lung Association released its 2022 State of the Air report with information on Hawaii's air quality and the impacts on the health of residents.
Honolulu is ranked #3 in the top 25 cleanest cities in the country, and officials at the American Lung Association credit both the success to the island's trade winds and the increase of residents switching over to electric cars.
The State of the Air Report is the American Lung Association's air quality report card, which uses the most up-to-date air pollution data from the US Environmental Protection Agency and focuses on the two most prominent types of pollution: ozone, also known as smog, and particle pollution, known as soot and for Hawaii, "vog".
Jenny Griswold, a longtime resident on Oahu, says she suffers from the vog blown in from the Big Island. She says her symptoms are eye irritation, breathing difficulties, and sinus flare ups.
"My first symptom was my teeth hurting, like I thought I needed a root canal. I went to the dentist and they said there’s nothing wrong with your teeth, your sinuses are so inflamed, they're crushing the roots of our teeth," said Griswold.
She says she uses V-maps to monitor vog movements and plumes blown onto Honolulu. She recommends everyone on the islands to do the same.
The 2022 report finds that Honolulu County received an 'A' rating in both ozone and particle pollution. However, Hawaii County on the Big Island received an F in 24-hour particle pollution, most of it which came from particles from the volcano.
"Hawaii County is still facing some of the repercussions that we saw several years ago from the eruptions from the volcano. We are seeing in 2022, the emissions in the air the particles have definitely decreased from previous years. It is not where we want it to be but it is improving,” said Pedro Haro, Executive Director of American Lung Association.
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