Tulsa's 'air' gets failing grade

Tis the season for Ozone Alert days. And Wednesday, the American Lung Association released its State of The Air report for 2002. <br><br>Based on the reading from ozone monitoring stations, several Oklahoma

Wednesday, May 1st 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Tis the season for Ozone Alert days. And Wednesday, the American Lung Association released its State of The Air report for 2002.

Based on the reading from ozone monitoring stations, several Oklahoma counties got less than average grades. Tulsa County failed completely, as did Oklahoma County.

The counties were graded on how often air quality crossed into the unhealthy category according to the EPA's Air Quality index for ground-level ozone. Ground level ozone is not only bad for the environment, it can be particular dangerous to people with asthma and other breathing problems.

Here's how you can help reduce ozone pollution. Keep your car maintained. Find alternatives to driving whenever possible. Shop for reduced emission versions of household paint, cleaning supplies and personal care products. Also, when mowing the yard, try to use human powered or electric equipment rather than gas powered.

Four California cities were ranked as the smoggiest in the nation, Houston, Texas came in 5th. As for the cities with the best air, Bellingham, Washington, Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Duluth, Minnesota.