What to look for on Smart Talk Tuesday, April 24, 2018:

With the exception of Harrisburg, Lancaster, York, Reading and Lebanon, South Central Pennsylvania is mostly rural.  In most of the region, one is more likely to see farmland and woods than a building over four stories tall.  That's why many are astonished to learn the area has some of the worst air pollution in the country.

That's according to the American Lung Association's 2018 "State-of-the-Air" report

The report found that Lancaster County is tied with Pittsburgh for the worst air particle pollution east of California and eighth worst in the entire country.

The Harrisburg-York-Lebanon metropolitan area has the 15th worst particle air pollution nationally.  More than 170 other metros have better air when measured for particles.

According to the Lung Association, the health of people with asthma or other respiratory conditions can be impacted by the air they breathe.

Kevin Stewart, Director of Environmental Health, American Lung Association of the Mid-Atlantic appears on Tuesday's Smart Talk to discuss the report's findings and what can be done about it.

Kevin Stewart

Smart Talk continues our conversations with candidates before the May 15^th primary Tuesday.  We're joined by Gary Wegman, a Democrat running for U.S. House of Representatives in the 9th Congressional District. 

The new 9th Congressional District is made up of Lebanon, Schuylkill, Columbia and parts of Berks, Carbon, Northumberland, Luzerne, and Montour Counties.

Dr. Gary Wegman