KJZZ is a service of Rio Salado College,
and Maricopa Community Colleges

Copyright © 2024 KJZZ/Rio Salado College/MCCCD
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Report: Phoenix continues to have some of the worst air quality in nation

Phoenix continues to see some of the dirtiest air across the United States. 

In the American Lung Association’s latest State of the Air report, the city ranks fifth in ozone pollution and ninth worst for year-round particle pollution.

That is only slightly better than last year. Brad Busby with the state Department of Environmental Quality says our climate and geography contribute to the problem.

"We do live in the desert Southwest, there’s dry, dusty conditions. There’s abundant sunshine. That sunshine is a key component in the formation of ozone. So we kind of have that working against us," Busby said. 

Maricopa and Pinal Counties both received F grades in all the ways the Lung Association measures pollution.

More stories from KJZZ

Greg Hahne started as a news intern at KJZZ in 2020 and returned as a field correspondent in 2021. He learned his love for radio by joining Arizona State University's Blaze Radio, where he worked on the production team.