NEW HAVEN -- A new air quality report released Wednesday said Connecticut has the deadliest air in New England.
A recent New York University study shows air pollution is causing nearly 168 deaths a year in Connecticut and sending 472 more people to the hospital.
According to the Hartford Courant who got a first-hand look at the report, Connecticut ranks at the bottom in all of New England.
A further breakdown of the numbers show nearly 55 people die in New Haven County due to bad air quality. Close to 48 people in Fairfield County and 31 people in Hartford County die each year because of the bad air.
Even though air quality is getting better, the state is being cited for having some of the worst air pollution on the East Coast. The main factor is ozone which is the worst pollutant to our air.
According to Richard Pirolli of the Bureau of Air Management, over 90% of air pollution is coming from out of state. The report says Connecticut is downwind of coal and oil-burning plants in the Midwest that send pollutants our way.
Pirolli also said much of the air pollution that troubles Connecticut comes from motor vehicles.
Connecticut has an estimated 54 more deaths each year than Massachusetts, which has 114 people die due to bad air quality. Vermont is the lowest in New England, with one death each year.
Yearly, over 9,000 people die nationwide due to bad air quality.
