State of the Air

The American Lung Association recently released the 2010 State of the Air report, which ranks metropolitan areas by the levels of ozone and particle pollution over the years 2006, 2007, and 2008.

The report includes a ranking of the 25 Most Polluted Cities, with regards to ozone, year-round particle pollution, and short-term particle pollution, respectively.While some cities have high levels of certain pollutants, they don’t show up on other lists. The cities listed are ranked by the air quality of the most polluted counties in the metropolitan area.

California’s cities fare poorly in the ratings. In terms of ozone pollution, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, California leads the pack, followed by five other metro areas in California. In fact, 12 of the 25 metro areas with the worst ozone pollution are in California; the other 13 include cities from Houston (#7) to Cincinnati (#18) and Las Vegas (#21).

The year-round particle pollution list is headed by Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Arizona, followed by Bakersfield, California, and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside. Meanwhile, Bakersfield earns the dubious distinction of being in the top spot for worst short-term particle pollution, followed by its Central Valley cousin, Fresno. Former industrial powerhouse Pittsburgh takes the third spot in the short-term list, followed by Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside in 4^th, and Birmingham, Alabama in 5^th.

The cleanest cities in the country are a very different list: geographically disparate, and predominantly made up of some of the country’s smaller metropolitan areas. Bismarck, North Dakota takes top billing in terms of the least ozone pollution, while Cheyenne, Wyoming has the least year-round particle pollution in the rankings, and Alexandria, Louisiana has the least short-term particle pollution.

Check out the American Lung Association’s State of the Air full report, which includes rankings by county, here.

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com