A former Beloit City Council member is putting out a call for action after a new report from IQAir finds the Rock County community is the most polluted regional city in the United States.

The report analyzed particulate matter levels from more than 30,000 air monitors in 7,812 global cities.

Despite the fact that Rock County is ranked fifth in Wisconsin for the rate of children hospitalized with asthma between 2019 and 2021, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources did not actively monitor particulate matter in the air.

Former Beloit City Council member Dr. Brittany Keyes says that led her to partner with Healthy Climate Wisconsin and Thriving Earth Exchange to facilitate an air monitoring program that began in 2022.

Dr. Keyes told the Beloit City Council this week that by coming together and working with leaders in the private and public sectors, we can use available resources to help clean up our air.