If you’ve ever stepped off a bus at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, walked past the Lincoln Tunnel approaches, or caught a whiff of exhaust near the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, new data suggests you’re not imagining things.
The skies over Manhattan filled with wildfire smoke from Canada in 2023. Photo: Gary Hershorn
A recent New York Times analysis of New York City Community Air Survey data ranked Midtown as the most polluted neighborhood in the city for PM2.5 in 2024, with Hell’s Kitchen and Chelsea ranking third. PM2.5 — fine particulate matter small enough to lodge deep in the lungs — has been linked to asthma, heart disease, reduced lung function and premature death.
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As a Hell’s Kitchen resident since 2005, I have lived in both the W30s and W50s. After a 15 year career in the luxury fashion industry, I made a pivot to community advocacy in 2020. In addition to my role as Deputy Editor at W42ST, I am founder of the local non-profit cleanup group Litter Legion, co-chair of HK49-54 Block Alliance and a member of Manhattan Community Board 4. I’m deeply committed to improving my neighborhood and serving the people who call it home.