It was my first trip to Florida. Ever. And I must admit it was a fairly enjoyable trip, except for the hassles of packing, driving to the airport, going through all the security nonsense at the airport, sitting for more than two hours waiting for the plane to arrive and then the flight and baggage retrieval.

And, of course, the privilege of doing all that again a week later for the return trip to Baltimore, which was even more obnoxious.

I know why all that is necessary, but it sure does beat a person down when you're supposed to be having fun.

But the company was good in Florida. The weather was great. Three Disney parks were enjoyable. The light and fireworks displays at Epcot were fantastic -- the best I've ever witnessed. And I got plenty of exercise, which I needed.

Plus, the air was so clean you could almost taste it.

Other than the first night, I didn't have to take a decongestant or an allergy pill the entire week. It's been more than 20 years since I've been able to say that.

And my sinus/allergy problems are minimal compared to lots of other people. I'm lucky.

But I was no sooner back in York County before my sinuses started to act up and my breathing became labored. I cracked the pill bottle the minute I stepped back into my house, looking for some relief.

Then, as I was trying to catch up on my newspaper reading before returning to work, I was quickly reminded why Orlando was a breath of fresh air, and York is not.

The headline in the

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Thursday York Dispatch says it all: "York has to clean its air." The chatter below the headline filled in the blanks: "EPA: The county is among 345 in the U.S. that violate new standard."

And then the first paragraph of the story: "The air in York and hundreds of other U.S. counties is simply too dirty to breathe," the federal government said. And then the excuse, three words -- emissions, ozone and smog.

York's got too much of it. Orlando apparently has very little, if any. That's what I initially figured, anyway.

But then I did some research. The truth is, there's almost no difference -- smog-wise -- between York County and the Metro Orlando area (four counties: Lake, Seminole, Osceola and Orange).

I thought the air down there smelled cleaner. It was easier to breathe.

But it's not.

In fact, if I'd read the Thursday, March 13, Orlando newspaper, there might have been a headline in it similar to what I read in the York Dispatch. Something like: Orlando has to clean its air.

Because in reality, between 2004 and 2006 York County's average air quality measurement was about 0.081 parts per billion of ozone to air. That's in violation of the EPA maximum standard of 0.075. Dauphin County's
measurement was 0.079; Lancaster's was 0.083.

And Metro Orlando's average (over four counties) ranged from 0.072 in Osceola County to 0.080 in Orange County. Lake County, which is where I stayed while I was down there, measured 0.076, also a violation.

If you have the answer, please tell me. Because I'm certain my nose isn't so sensitive it can tell the difference between 0.076 and 0.081 on its own. And since I'm not a scientist, I have no clue why the air seemed so clean in Orlando and as thick as coal dust in York County.

All I know is it did. And my sinuses and lungs will swear to it.

Columns by Larry A. Hicks, Dispatch columnist, run Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. E-mail: lhicks@yorkdispatch.com.