When it comes to air quality, Hawaiʻi is one of the best in the country. That's according to the American Lung Association's annual State of the Air report. It compiles and averages air quality data in locations across the state over a three-year period.
This year's report focused on data taken between 2018 and 2020. But there is a change in this year's grades for the state.
"Honolulu and the Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina area continued to be in the top five of cleanest cities in the United States," said Pedro Haro, executive director of the American Lung Association in Hawaiʻi.
"However, when we look at Hawaiʻi County and certain parts of Maui, we see that the air is not quite as clean as it is in other areas. And we really think that's because of the vog pollution that was created by the fissures and all of the unplanned activity from the volcano."
The report gave Hawaiʻi County a failing grade, and a "C" for Maui County. Oʻahu and Kauaʻi each received an "A."
Haro says the grades are primarily due to the 2018 Kīlauea eruption. He emphasizes the report averages the air quality of the counties over a three-year period. But he says the air quality for both counties improved in the following year.
But overall, and when compared to the rest of the country, Haro says the state will likely continue to have some of the best air quality in the U.S.
"We definitely benefit in Hawaiʻi from our geography," he said. "Our trade winds really help to be able to improve the air that we're breathing."
"We're also investing in renewable energy, that's the fortunate thing for Hawaiʻi is that we're really taking a look at being able to optimize our sources of energy to be clean," Haro said. "So I think that those two things are really helping us strengthen our rankings overall in air quality."
Nationally, this year's report found that 9 million more Americans were impacted by deadly particle pollution than last year. Haro says the country saw the most days with hazardous air conditions in the history of the report.
