Michigan's Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy said the state's effort to decrease ozone pollution has led to better air quality this year.
Ozone is a gas in earth's atmosphere that is both human-made and naturally occurring. In the upper atmosphere it protects the earth from ultraviolet radiation. But at ground level, ozone causes smog and can aggravate lung conditions and lead to breathing problems.
From March to October, ozone levels are likely to be elevated.
This year's report on the season from the state environmental department found that, in general, air quality is improving, continuing a longer-term trend.
Holland was the only city that didn't meet federal ozone standards this year. EGLE said that's likely because of pollution that transferred across Lake Michigan from other states.
"The air quality is continuing to improve, and we are attaining the federal standards throughout much of the state," said Tom Shanley, an air quality evaluation manager with EGLE.
Still, Shanley said pollutants from wildfire smoke have been increasingly hurting air quality in the state in recent years.
In July, Michigan experienced dangerous air quality levels as wildfire smoke from Canada traveled south.
"We have, in the last five to 10 years, noticed an increase in impacts from wildfire smoke, whether it's from places [in the] northwest U.S. or in Canada," he said.
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