Data from the largest urban air monitoring program of any U.S. city show annual average levels of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitric oxide (NO) have declined 43%, 39% and 56%, respectively since 2009.
In 2020, New York City and surrounding communities implemented measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, resulting in dramatic changes in air pollution in some neighborhoods and smaller changes in others.
April 22, 2022 — The Health Department today released the latest New York City Community Air Survey (NYCCAS) report, which shows continuing improvements in air quality citywide. The report summarizes twelve years of data for the largest ongoing urban air monitoring program of any U.S. city. It describes seasonal trends in air pollution levels from winter 2008-2009 through fall 2020 and highlights sources that contribute to high levels of pollutants in New York City neighborhoods. Maps displaying neighborhood air pollution levels by year are also available online.
“The health of our planet is a critical public health issue for New Yorkers,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan. “The choices we make as a global communit2y to combat or perpetuate climate change, show up in our city every day, with deeply unequal impacts. And as a city, we can develop models for the nation to ensure we are breathing cleaner air and launching policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in the effort to slow the warming of our planet. We can all breathe easier when cities commit to fighting climate change and to environmental protection. It saves lives, now and into the future.”
More data on local air quality and other health issues related to the environment can be found at the New York City Environment and Health Data Portal.
Annual Average Fine Particulate Matter in NYC, 2009
Annual Average Fine Particulate Matter in NYC, 2020
The Health Department prioritizes the reduction of emissions and air quality improvement citywide.
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MEDIA CONTACT : Patrick Gallahue / Michael Lanza,
pressoffice@health.nyc.gov