File Photo by Shelley Hanson Electric vehicle charging stations are shown behind the Sheetz gas station at The Highlands. The American Lung Association’s State of the Air report says the Wheeling Metro Area’s air quality regarding ozone is a “B.”

WHEELING — The Wheeling Metro Area’s air quality received a “B” grade regarding ozone, but has more particle pollution than past years, according to the American Lung Association’s 2023 State of the Air report.

“What we’re seeing in Wheeling matches trends across the country. We’re seeing an improvement in ozone pollution, but we’re seeing areas where short-term particle pollution is worsening,” said Aimee Van Cleave, director of Advocacy for the American Lung Association.

Ozone, aka smog, is created when pollutants, such as smoke and volatile organic compounds, mix with sunlight.

Particle pollution is a mixture of tiny solid and liquid particles in the air that are breathed in. The particles are created by either mechanical means, such as dust from construction, farming or even brake pad wear, or chemical means, such as the combustion of fuels or wildfires.

“Even one poor air quality day is too much. We’re calling on lawmakers to take action to ensure we have clean air to breathe,” she said.

Van Cleave attributed the decrease in ozone pollution to date to measures in the Clean Air Act. Wheeling’s ozone numbers are the best they have ever been. For example, “the weighted average number of days high in ozone decreased from 0.7 to a best-ever 0.3 (both ‘B’ grades) in Ohio County, the area’s only county monitored for this pollutant.

“This year’s 0.3 days had first been reported in the 2021 State of the Air report. Nevertheless, because of much improvement in ozone nationwide, State of the Air ranked the metro area as the 111th most polluted city for ozone pollution, slightly worse than its ranking of 117th in last year’s report.”

She added there are some new tax incentives to help people do more on an individual basis to help clear the air. The Inflation Reduction Act, she said, made tax incentives available for people who want to switch to electric vehicles or put solar panels on their home.

Van Cleave said the report also points out that people living in poverty and people of color tend to experience more poor air quality days.

For example, of the 120 million people living in areas with poor air quality, 64 million are people of color.

“We know social disparities lead to health disparities. … Where you live should not determine whether the air you breathe is going to make you sick,” she said.

Dr. Robert Herron, a thoracic surgeon at the WVU Medicine Heart and Vascular Institute at Wheeling Hospital, said he was glad to see that Wheeling had a good overall grade, but there’s room for improvement.

He noted while people cannot avoid pollution there are individual measures they can take to help reduce it. For example, if feasible instead of driving a car, one can ride a bike or walk to their destination.

He said people can also encourage their state, federal and local lawmakers to pass laws that will help to continue to improve air quality as well.

“Everybody breathes air, the same air, and for not only our generation but future generations we need to keep the air healthy and the environment healthy,” Herron said.

Air pollution, particularly, ozone affects everybody, he added, but especially hurts people in higher risk categories including the elderly and those with underlying conditions such as COPD, emphysema and asthma.

“When these levels rise in the air we tend to see an uptick in people coming to the ER when this happens,” he said.

Meanwhile, the hospital’s lung cancer screening program is doing well and more people are taking advantage of it, Herron said. The program uses a low-dose CT to look for potential nodules in a patient’s lungs. To be eligible, one must be between 50 and 80 years old, having smoked for 30 years or have quit in the last 15 years.

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in men and women.

If a nodule is detected, Herron conducts a robotic assisted bronchoscopy to obtain a biopsy sample. This method is much less invasive for patients. The hospital also conducts robotic assisted lung surgeries for cancer patients as well. Doing so means less time in the hospital and a quicker recovery time at home.

If lung cancer is caught early, in Stage 1, the cure rate with surgery is 90%. If someone does not have the lung capacity to undergo surgery, the cure rate for a Stage 1 lung cancer with other treatment such as radiation is 85%.

“We’ve been extremely pleased with the program and we’re achieving our goal of getting the word out to the community,” Herron said. “I give a lot of credit to the cancer center staff here, local physicians, primary care physicians, for their outreach to patients.”

The early screening can save lives and help catch the disease sooner. For example, Herron said a patient who received the screening recently had a nodule removed from their lung. They had Stage 1 lung cancer.

“Screening is a big passion of mine. … It can be a lifesaver,” he said.