By Heather Grossmann
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Manhattan has the dirtiest, most toxic air of the five boroughs, a new study by the mayor's office revealed on Tuesday.
The city's first report on neighborhood air quality also found that New York fails to meet the clear air standards established by the federal Environmental Protection Agency and calls pollution “a significant public health problem."
The Upper East Side was reportedly the most polluted neighborhood in the borough. Much of Manhattan's pollution problem stems from the high volume of traffic on its streets, along with contaminants contained in heating oil, according to the report.
Problematic pollutants, such as elemental carbon, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and fine particles — tiny pieces of solid material — are known to contribute to incidents of asthma, emphysema, heart attacks and premature death in the borough.
Children and the elderly are most at risk from exposure.
However, the city claims the air quality is a lot better than it was twenty years ago.
“New York City’s overall air quality has improved in recent decades,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley in a statement.
“But levels of pollutants are still high enough to harm our health."
Farley said the report helped New Yorkers by identifying the most important local sources of harmful air pollutants.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg discussed the results of the study during a statement at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. The study is part of PlaNYC, Bloomberg’s long-term sustainability initiative for the city.
The data represented in the study was collected from December 2008 through March 2009, and therefore reflects levels of pollution during the winter season only.
