New York air quality 'best in decades', says mayor

Air quality in New York City is the best it has been in 50 years according to a new study, the results of which were announced by the New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg.  He announced that the efforts his administration have made toward improving air quality in the city by reducing air pollution have paid off.

The new city survey shows that several harmful components, often linked to traffic air pollution and the use of heating oil in buildings, have decreased in recent years. Soot pollution has dropped by around 23 per cent compared to the levels recorded in 2007, while the amount of sulphur dioxide in the city's air has fallen by 69 per cent from 2008's levels.

According to Mr Bloomberg, the decreases in these harmful components, and therefore the increase in air quality, is due to the efforts that have been made to switch buildings to greener fuel sources. This has led to a reduction in the use of heavily polluting heating oils, which in turn has lessened emissions.

City officials have estimated that the work undertaken to improve air quality in New York has helped to prevent around 2,000 hospitalisations and visits to emergency rooms every year. The mayor also commented that around 800 premature deaths are now also being prevented each year due to the decrease in pollutants that have been linked to illnesses such as lung cancer and heart disease.

According to the New York Times, Mr Bloomberg told a news conference at Chelsea Piers: "The continued health benefits of this conversion to cleaner heating fuels will make it the single biggest step to save lives since we began our comprehensive smoking control program.

"City government’s number one responsibility, I’ve always thought, is protecting the health and safety of our people. And when you look at the results like that, at the lives being saved and the illnesses being prevented, it tells you that we’re definitely doing something right."