By MARYANN BATLLE | Originally published 08:38 p.m., May 7, 2014 

Chances are people in Lee and Collier often say “ahh” when they exhale.

“Probably most folks don’t think about it, but they are breathing in some of the best air in the nation,” said Brian Accardo, director of air resource management for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Air in Lee and Collier counties is among the cleanest in the country, according to the American Lung Association’s 2014 State of the Air report, which used 2010 to 2012 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency air monitor data to grade counties and metropolitan areas from A to F.

Both Lee and Collier received A grades.

Cape Coral-Fort Myers is one of four metros ranked on all three of the American Lung Association’s lists of the cleanest cities from 2010 to 2012.

That means the area spent no days in the unhealthy level for ozone, often called smog, or short-term particle pollution, which is a mix of tiny solid and liquid specks in the air known as soot.

Cape Coral-Fort Myers also ranked on the list of cleanest cities for year-round particle pollution.

“That is something that doesn’t always happen,” said Kurt Goerke, area director for the American Lung Association of the Southeast. “Hopefully we are thankful for where we live.”

Natural features in Lee and Collier help keep air fresh and give the area an advantage, Accardo said.

“Coastal cities are going to benefit from being flat and from sea breezes,” he said.

In its 2014 report, the American Lung Association combined Lee and Collier readings and created the Cape Coral-Fort Myers-Naples metropolitan area.

Cape Coral-Fort Myers-Naples is 19th on the list of 25 cleanest metros in the country for annual particle pollution, second in Florida only to Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville.

Tourists who visit Southwest Florida might say they come for the beaches and the malls, but it is what they can’t see or feel that makes them stay, said Lee County Commissioner Larry Kiker.

“If we had dirty air neither of those would matter,” he said.

And Goerke said people who are thinking about moving to Lee or Collier call his office to inquire about the air quality because it can be a deciding factor for them.

“Chamber of commerce people should probably pay attention,” he said.