The air quality in Allen County is good and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency says that it has been getting better over the past few years.
The agency released their 2016 report, and it says that the pollutants they monitor, which include carbon monoxide, has dropped each of the past few years. The Ohio EPA attributes the good air quality to cleaner gasoline and diesel fuels, and the fact that the agency continues to mandate manufacturers to put in the best available technology to prevent harmful chemicals and particles from reaching the air. That has made a big difference over the past three decades.
"Back in the 1990’s, there was a time that you drive by Fort Amanda Road, the south end of Lima and you would smell you would smell ammonia. You could drive by the facilities and see stacks emitting of off colored gases. Those things over time have been improved to the point where we are now," said Bill Kelly, Allen County Public Health.Â
Kelly says the EPA has been monitoring toxin levels in the Allen County air since the 90s, many of those results taking in the past few years have come back with nothing detected. Even though the numbers are good, he says that we still need to be vigilant in what we put in our air, like avoiding burning leaves which puts particles in the air.Â
