SW Ohio Air Quality (Cincinnati, Toledo: allergy, live in, air pollution)

[Rebek56]

I have been looking at the air pollution data on CLR Search as we consider possible relocation areas for retirement. Having lived for decades in SE Ohio, I am used to a fair amount of dirty air, but the Dayton/Oxford/Cincinnati swath of the state has ambient levels of lead more than three times those of other parts of the state.

Does anyone have any information on why the levels are so high?

[SWOH]

Being in a wooded valley with a wide variety of industrial companies is why.

We don't think about it much, but most all people and industry in the Miami Valley is in geographical lowlands. These areas are heavily industrialized, criss-crossed by tons of highways carrying hundreds of thousands of cars a day. Major polluters like AK Steel, Suncoke, Cargill, and others are here. As for lead specifically, I don't know.

[Rebek56]

SWOH, we are in a similar industrial valley in Marietta. When I have time, I may try to track down the reason for the higher levels of toxins in your area.

[SWOH]

Go for it! I'd be interested in finding out.

But to be honest, it's most likely the sheer population difference.

100x more people live here (3 million) than the Marietta area (~30,000?)

Pair that with the fact that some of the nation's busiest highways are here, as well as a lot more industry, an air force base, etc. and those would probably account for a lot of the differences.

[Rebek56]

You're probably right--had not thought about the density issue. (We think I-77 is bad!)

[Icemodeled]

I live in SW Ohio and never noticed any difference really with air quality from here or other locations we traveled. There is a lot of industrial building though, just never been an issue or something noticeable to me.

[weatherphotographer]

Originally Posted by Icemodeled

I live in SW Ohio and never noticed any difference really with air quality from here or other locations we traveled. There is a lot of industrial building though, just never been an issue or something noticeable to me.

Summer 2012 seemed to be bad. Stagnation after weeks of no rain, heat and light winds.

[notnamed]

I just moved from the Dayton area to WA state. I had been popping allergy pills daily pretty much the entire time I lived in Dayton. I have yet to take a single one here in WA. The air pollution index here is half that of Dayton.

Summer's there in Dayton are oppressively hot/humid with semi regular air quality warnings.

[Rebek56]

I have taken Loratadine every day for decades in the Mid-Ohio Valley--did not need it so much the months I spent on sabbatical in Toledo and not at all when visiting the in-laws near Cape Canaveral. Sigh.