Grant County among areas hardest hit by air pollution, study finds

OLYMPIA — The George and Mattawa areas were identified as most affected by air pollution in Washington in a report released by the Washington Department of Ecology last week.

The report also identified 14 other areas of the state, according to an announcement from the DOE.

Researchers investigated health data and found people in these communities face a higher death rate from air pollution than the state average, the announcement said. The report — required under the state’s landmark Climate Commitment Act — predicts that older adults in these communities are twice as likely to die from health conditions linked to breathing fine particles from human-caused sources. In analyzing data for 2016 to 2020, the report found that people of all ages in the communities lived an average of 2.4 years less than people in the rest of Washington. 

The report also shows higher rates of chronic respiratory and cardiovascular conditions across the 16 areas, where Ecology has identified vulnerable populations that face high levels of air pollution in addition to social, economic, and environmental inequities, the announcement said.

“The findings in this report underscore the importance of the strong air quality and environmental justice provision contained in the Climate Commitment Act,” Laura Watson, Ecology’s director, wrote in the announcement. “The Climate Commitment Act not only decreases harmful greenhouse gas emissions but also takes concrete steps to reduce air pollution that unfairly impacts the most vulnerable people in our state.”

Besides the George and Mattawa areas, areas of eastern Washington identified as overburdened were Ellensburg; the Moxee Valley; Spokane and Spokane Valley; the area between the Tri-Cities and Wallula; Wenatchee and East Wenatchee; East Yakima and the lower Yakima Valley. West side locations were Everett; South King County; Northeast Puyallup; North Seattle and Shoreline; South Seattle; South and East Tacoma; and Vancouver.

The report is the first in a series that will be published every two years to track progress towards reducing outdoor air pollution and greenhouse gases, as well as improvements in human health in the 16 places, which represent multiple towns, communities, and neighborhoods and more than 1.2 million people, the announcement said. It provides baseline data compiled from Washington’s air monitoring network, the Washington State Department of Health, industry greenhouse gas reports, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, among other tools and data sets. 

As part of this work, Ecology has started to expand its statewide air monitoring network to gather more data in the 16 identified areas and to seek input from community members about the best locations for additional air monitors and sensors, according to the announcement.

This work to improve air quality under the Climate Commitment Act will include a new grant program, which the agency will design with communities and environmental justice representatives to address local air pollution concerns, the DOE wrote. The $10-million grant program will be implemented in 2024. Ecology will also work with local governments, air quality agencies, and interested Tribes to establish stricter air quality standards to protect these communities.