HELENA — A recent report from the American Lung Association ranked the Helena area 20th in the nation for short-term air particle pollution in the air.

According to the report, the Helena metro area, which includes parts of Broadwater and Jefferson counties, averaged 10 days a year with unhealthy air.

Lewis and Clark Public Health says the most common pollutants found are exhaust as well as carbon monoxide.

Poor air quality can negatively impact both our community's mental and physical health.

A major factor in particulate pollution for the Helena area can include wildfires in the summer and inversions that trap polluted air in the valley in the winter months.

Lewis and Clark County and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality monitor air quality year-round and will issue alerts and guidelines to help people plan around unhealthy air.

“Our air is impacted throughout the year now because we do have prescribed burns and wildfires are more common and have a longer wildfire season," Jay Plant, a Lewis and Clark County environmental health specialist, says. "Be aware of that, and planning your activities according to those burns is very important.”

One other Montana city was highlighted in the report.

The American Lung Association says Missoula ranked 17th in the nation for year-round particle pollution and 15th for short-term particle pollution.