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Not vog, but just the old-fashioned garden variety we get here in Los Angeles, from too many autos? Or do the winds blow from east to west or vise versa, sweeping it out to sea? I see the two cities being topographically similar - large cities set between the ocean and mountains. Here in LA it's like living in a big bowl, w/ the San Gabriel & the Santa Monica mountains holding the smog in place.
The 2004 American Lung Association "State of the Air" report ranked Honolulu in the top 25 cities for "cleanest" in particulate and ozone air pollution. (Los Angeles was among the "worst" in both categories, BTW, in the same study.)
A fellow site that compares localities lists specific "air quality" indices for each city. Honolulu's is 19 (on a scale of 100, in which higher is better). Here in Lahaina (Maui), ours is 53. Los Angeles's is 1. (Yes, just 1.) And for comparison, moving east, Denver's is 21 and NYC's is 12.
Last edited by whynot?; 08-29-2008 at 02:18 PM..
Reason: correction/punctuation
A fellow site that compares localities lists specific "air quality" indices for each city. Honolulu's is 19
But that would put Honolulu in the bottom fifth, wouldn't it? I've heard the other study that ranks H as like 3rd cleanest in the nation among large cities. The two seem to conflict.
But that would put Honolulu in the bottom fifth, wouldn't it? I've heard the other study that ranks H as like 3rd cleanest in the nation among large cities. The two seem to conflict.
I don't think it works that way. On the first site, I don't think there's actually a US city that probably qualifies for the 100 rating. And the American Lung Association uses their own criteria based on ozone and particulate matter measurements, so they get different results. (I also think you are confusing "smog" with other -- more generalized -- kinds of air pollution, but that's another matter.)
Try this: here's Money magazine's 2007 list of the "cleanest air" cities. Honolulu is not on their list at all, which reinforces that it depends upon the criteria for "clean" air. MONEY Magazine: Best places to live 2007: Top 25 Cleanest air. On the other hand, just last month, they published their 2008 results, and suddenly Honolulu and five other island towns are in the top 25: http://pacific.bizjournals.com/pacif...28/daily7.html This is "clean air" using the EPA's air quality index. Many of these cities are -- perhaps surprisingly -- in New Jersey. Go figure. (Sometimes it is whether or not the cities/towns are included in the sample. Honolulu's gas price is frequently cited as the "most expensive in the nation" when Maui's costs more, but Maui is not included in the survey.)
Hawaii's "best friend" is its being so remote and not being affected by the air from adjoining states, having literally thousands of miles of open air on all sides. Honolulu has to be THE most congested, and therefore "polluted" area in the state because it has the most traffic, the highest population density, and the most dense development. Simply compare Honolulu to places you are familiar with, and -- if you are so inclined -- to towns in the rest of the state for scale.
Much like air pollution, the various measurements, comparisons, and studies are nebulous, and their affect on one's day-to-day life is debatable.
Last edited by whynot?; 08-29-2008 at 07:21 PM..
Reason: Additonal info.
Much like air pollution, the various measurements, comparisons, and studies are nebulous, and their affect on one's day-to-day life is debatable.
I don't think the following is debatable:
Rankings - American Lung Association site (http://www.lungusa.org/site/c.dvLUK9O0E/b.50752/k.D532/Rankings.htm - broken link)
It consists of several lists of "best" and "worst" in Air Pollution categories.
Honolulu is on ALL the "best" lists (ranking 2 or 3 - beaten by Elbert, CO (?????), Maui, and Santa Fe, NM), and is on none of the "worst" lists.
If you look at the details, I find it interesting that, on the list of the 22 cleanest cities for ozone air pollution (listed alphabetically), Honolulu has the largest population (896,019), yet ranks with cities like Logan, Utah, pop 105,394.
It goes with studies like this, which notes that Hawaii residents are likely to live longer than residents of other parts of the country:
Oh, I quite agree, Hank. The Lung Association study you linked to is the one I referenced in my first response. Since it was four years old, I tried to find more recent data in my second post.
What I meant by "debatable" is whether one feels they are better off staying inside to try to avoid the perils of breathing polluted air outside, whether one should calculate the risk of going outside into their daily routine. (The ALA site has a whole section on indoor air quality issues, too.) I did not mean that I doubt the health risks of unclean air.
The ALA of Hawaii site says "lung disease has become the third leading cause of death," and that the rate is increasing. (http://www.ala-hawaii.org/ourstory.asp) The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics lists chronic lower respiratory disease as the fourth leading cause of death. (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/FASTATS/lcod.htm) Clearly it's in one's best interests long-term to avoid atmospheric chemicals whenever possible.
Last edited by 7th generation; 08-30-2008 at 03:51 PM..
Reason: He asked a pertinent question.
I assure you my interests in moving to Hawaii are very sincere. And I do have lots of criteria for where I spend my retirement. But things that affect health (like vog, smog and earthquakes) are top priority and if I'm jumping from the pan (LA) to the fire (HI) what's the point. Thanks for all the info.
Last edited by 7th generation; 08-30-2008 at 03:52 PM..
Reason: Orphaned content. The part of the post you refer to has been deleted.
For the population of Oahu being over 1,030,000, it's some of the freshest air I have breathed! Much better than even down here in the Keys. I miss that little tradewind!
Not to mention jump up in the Koolau, get a bit higher, drive up Tantalus to the lookout and check it out, the city is clean! You'll love it. Can't even compare it to LA! When we used to fly over to LA for biz for weekends, it was nasty when we got out, over the weekend we got accustomed to it,
But when we arrive at HNL, it was like, wow, no horns, no yelling, no smog, what a BEAUTIFUL place!
I am sure you'll feel the same, unless you come from the open-world of the country.
For the population of Oahu being over 1,030,000, it's some of the freshest air I have breathed!
.........................................
But when we arrive at HNL, it was like, wow, no horns, no yelling, no smog, what a BEAUTIFUL place!
I am sure you'll feel the same, unless you come from the open-world of the country.
I felt the same everytime i was in the islands.
Moving west from Calif pretty soon !
No smog in Hawaii. I just went to L.A. again and trust me there is no smog in Hawaii.
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Not Necessarily
