Acid Air’s Effect on Lungs Studied

Harvard University researchers have begun a $4-million study of air quality in the Pittsburgh suburb of Monroeville and 23 other North American cities to find out how acid air affects breathing.

Researchers who have completed two years of a five-year study said Saturday that Monroeville’s air is the most acid of eight cities studied so far.

But the Harvard scientists also said that is no surprise, since the city is downwind of the Ohio Valley.

The researchers said they have not yet drawn conclusions about the effects of acid air.

The scientists studied children’s respiratory health and monitored air quality for one year for their study.

The researchers have also studied Newtown, Conn.; Morehead, Ky.; Springdale, Ark.; Hendersonville, Tenn.; Livermore, Calif., and Dunnville and Pembroke, both in Ontario, Canada.