Many people, including myself, moved to Nevada County to enjoy the natural beauty and escape “big city” problems like pollution and traffic. So, imagine my surprise to learn that our beautiful little community hosts air pollution worse than many major American cities.

The American Lung Association once again awarded Nevada County the dubious distinction of another in a series of failing grades for air quality in its latest State of the Air Report.

Considering that we don’t contend with traffic in downtown Nevada City or see local skies painted with smog, this is somewhat confusing.

It turns out that the vast majority of local air pollution is transported here from emissions (mostly from cars) in the Bay Area and Sacramento. Those emissions are carried by wind to the foothills where they get “stuck” against the tall mountains. On warm days, sunlight heats the emissions and turns them into ground-level ozone. Unlike smog, ozone pollution is completely invisible and undetectable without monitoring equipment.

Children represent one of several populations labeled “sensitive” to the effects of ozone (others include elderly persons, athletes, outdoor workers and pregnant women). When developing lungs are chronically exposed to ozone, they can be irreparably damaged, resulting in childhood asthma and diminished lung capacity for life.

As it turns out, Nevada County’s rates of childhood asthma are higher than the overall state average.

Unfortunately, ozone poses a threat even for healthy adults. Short-term effects can include difficulty breathing, wheezing, and exhaustion. Although the EPA’s Air Quality Index uses seemingly benign designations such as “good” and “moderate” to describe lower levels of ozone, it turns out that there is no “good” amount of ozone pollution for any of us.

The World Health Organization disagrees with the index and sets “unhealthy” ozone levels at 50 parts per billion for sensitive people, a level that the index labels “good.” According to the WHO’s standards, we reach unhealthy levels for so-called sensitive people many, if not most, days of the year here in Grass Valley.

According to www.sparetheair.com, long-term exposure to polluted air can have permanent health effects including: Accelerated aging of the lungs; loss of lung capacity; decreased lung function; development of respiratory diseases; and premature mortality.

This is pretty scary stuff. Some community members have re-located to avoid exposing their families to ozone. As a mother raising two young children here, I too have questioned whether my family should move away.

So, where would we go? Determined to learn about each prospective community’s environmental health in order to screen possibilities, I found a Web site (www.scorecard.org) that provides environmental reports for every county in the nation.

Unfortunately, I can’t find any county that doesn’t have some pretty significant pollution problems of some sort. That fact, combined with the many amazing aspects of life here, helped my family make the decision to stay and seek solutions.

In 2007, concerned residents formed Save The Air in Nevada County. Now with over 300 members, we are working to raise awareness about ozone, to further understand the problem through research and additional monitoring, and to call for action.

Along the way, we’ve learned some interesting things. Nationwide, ozone rates have actually decreased in the last 30 years, due to technological advances and improved fuel standards. That means that change is possible.

We also learned that Sacramento has one of the lowest public transportation utilization rates of any major city in the nation. That means we have the opportunity to improve our air quality by advocating for improved public transportation in Sacramento and San Francisco.

Save The Air is pleased to co-sponsor the Sierra Ozone Summit on June 4 in Grass Valley along with Nevada County, the cities of Grass Valley and Nevada City, and the local Air Board. The conference will bring together for the first time parents, school staff, business and community groups and elected officials from neighboring foothill communities who also endure ozone pollution as a result of emissions from the Bay Area and the valley.

Expert speakers will discuss what is being done – and what more can be done – to protect our communities and the environment. Additionally, the summit will provide a venue for developing innovative, regionally-based strategies for change.

Save The Air is committed to positive action and to providing people with the information they need to make the best decisions and to take effective action against local air pollution.

Join us at the Sierra Ozone Summit and support a healthy future for our beautiful community.

Marina Bernheimer is chair and co-founder of Save The Air in Nevada County. She lives in Nevada City. To learn more about STA in NC, visit www.stainnc.org. To register for the Sierra Ozone Summit, go to www.myairdistrict.com or call 274-9360.