DeSoto County gets graded on air pollution

DeSoto County gets a passing grade for particles, but a less than satisfactory grade for ozone, according to a new report from the American Lung Association.

Called the 2024 “State of the Air,” the report indicates where the cleanest air is located and where the most polluted air is found.

In DeSoto County, 24-hour particle pollution gets an “A” grade and an annual grade of Pass. However, the Ozone grade for DeSoto County is a “D”.

The “D” grade for ozone is due a weighted average of 2.3 and for seven Orange Ozone Days average each year.

The American Lung Association said that grades are based on the number of days a county’s air reaches unhealthful levels on the Air Quality Index.

Each unhealthy air day is given a weighted score, with orange days given a weight of 1, red days 1.5, purple days 2 and maroon days 2.5.

Those daily scores are added up and divided by 3 to get a weighted average that is then assigned a grade.

The State of the Air report states that nearly four in 10 Americans live in places with unhealthy levels of air pollution.

You may read the report for DeSoto County on the State of the Air website.