Roughly four in ten Americans are at risk of suffering health effects due to poor air quality, according to the American Lung Association’s recently released State of the Air 2015 report. The report compares levels of ozone and particle pollution in areas across the U.S. in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Included in the report is a list of U.S. cities with the highest levels of air pollution, and which ones are the cleanest.
Top 12 Most Polluted Cities by Ozone Pollution
- Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA
- Visalia-Porterville-Hanford, CA
- Bakersfield, CA
- Fresno-Madera, CA
- Sacramento-Roseville, CA
- Houston-The Woodlands, TX
- Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK
- Modesto-Merced, CA
- Las Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ
- Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
- New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA
- Tulsa-Muskogee-Bartlesville, OK
Top 12 Most Polluted Cities by Year Round Particle Pollution
- Fresno-Madera, CA
- Bakersfield, CA
- Visalia-Portersville-Hanford, CA
- Modesto-Merced, CA
- Los-Angeles-Long Beach, CA
- El Centro, CA
- San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA
- Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN
- Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH
- Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Harrisburg-York-Lebanon, PA, Johnstown-Somerset, PA
The findings of the report were mixed for both particle pollution and ozone pollution. Many cities showed strong improvement over past years, while other cities experienced their worst episodes of unhealthy air. Overall, the eastern half of the nation showed the best progress in terms of continued reduction of year-round particle pollution – thanks in part to cleaner diesel fleets and cleaner fuel used in power plants. The western half of the U.S., however, did not fare as well. Many cities in the west reported a record number of days with high short-term particle pollution. Climate change is largely to blame in this region, aided by grass fires and wildfires, and increased dust related to continuing drought and heat. Western cities also saw a jump in ozone levels.
Unhealthy Ozone Levels and Airborne Pollution
According to the report, more than 40% of Americans live in areas of unhealthy ozone levels. Most agree that this is a very conservative estimate because it is based on the EPA ozone standard of 75 parts per billion. The American Lung Association has been urging the EPA to lower the standard to 60 parts per billion, a number they say more accurately reflects current science and would provide the public with better information and health protection.
Airborne pollution is a danger to everyone, especially for the more than 138.5 million people who live in counties where monitors show unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution. The consequences of prolonged exposure to dangerous pollutants include an increased risk of developing asthma, heart disease, lung and other cancers, and an overall reduction of life expectancy. For some, the risk is even higher. These groups include children and teens, people over the age of 65, and those with chronic health issues, such as asthma, emphysema, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes.
Only six cities had no days when the air quality reached an unhealthy level for ozone or short-term particle pollution and were on the list of cleanest cities for year-round particle pollution. Listed alphabetically, the cities were:
- Bismarck, ND
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers-Naples, FL
- Elmira-Corning, NY
- Fargo-Wahpeten, ND-MN
- Rapid City-Spearfish, SD
- Salinas, CA
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