There’s a bit of good news in the American Lung Association’s “State of the Air” report: only 36 percent of us live in places with F levels of ozone and fine particulate pollution. Sure, that’s a lot, but it’s a smaller number than in years past.
The report says air pollution trends are improving in some ways. Emissions from cars and factories are lower than they used to be. But climate change is making it difficult to get air pollution under control. High temperatures, droughts and wildfires have led to spikes in ozone and particulate pollution. These spikes are increasing, and 64 million Americans experience them regularly.
This report measures ozone and fine particulate matter
The report collects government data on fine particle pollution and ozone. The level of pollution in the air depends on the weather, and certain conditions can increase the amount of ozone and particulates in the air. Pollution also varies with the season and time of day.
Ozone in smoke can irritate the lungs. It is especially harmful to people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Exposure to ozone also makes us more susceptible to respiratory infections such as pneumonia.
Fine particle pollution has similar health effects and has been linked to cardiovascular disease, including heart disease. Particles smaller than 2.5 microns are tracked by the Air Quality Index (AQI) that you see in weather reports. For what it’s worth, the American Lung Association (ALA) considers the standard not sensitive enough, and a “moderate” (yellow) AQI still puts many people at risk.
Which cities have the worst air pollution?
Ready for the results? The 25 most polluted cities and counties are listed here, and there is a map to explore the area near you. You can see where your city stands in terms of ozone, short-term particulate matter, or year-round particulate matter.
My hometown of Pittsburgh ranks 14th in year-round and 20th in short-term particulate pollution, so …… hooray for us? Here are the top 10 cities for ozone emissions:
#1: Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA
#2: Visalia, CA
#3: California
Bakersfield #4: Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA
#5: Phoenix-Mesa, Arizona
#6 : Denver-Aurora, Colorado
#7 : Sacramento-Roseville, CA
#8 : San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
#9 : Houston-The Woodlands, TX
#10: Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem, UT
Top 10 Short-term Particulate Pollution:
#1: Bakersfield, CA
#2: Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA
3: Fairbanks, Alaska # 4: Visalia, California # 5: Reno-Carson City-Fearnley, Nevada # 6: San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, California # 7: Redding-Red Bluff, California # 8: Sacramento-Roseville, California # 9: Los Angeles-Long Beach, California # 9: Chico, California
And the top 10 for year-round particulate pollution:
#1: Bakersfield, CA
Fairfield, CA #1: Visalia, CA
#3: Fresno, CA-Madera-Hanford, CA
4: Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA #5: Fairbanks, AR #6: Sacramento-Roseville, CA #7: Medford-Grants Pass, OR #7: San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA #7: Phoenix-Mesa, AZ #10: Indianapolis-Carmel-Mansi, IN
Wildfires are a big reason why western states rank high in these charts, but weather conditions, including high temperatures, are also a factor. the ALA notes that western cities have been moving up in the rankings for years.
Which cities have the cleanest air?
There is also a list of cities with the cleanest air, measured in the same three ways. The following are the cities with the least ozone:
Albany – Schenectady, NY
Asheville – Marion – Brevard, NC
Bangor, Maine
Bellingham, WA Blacksburg – Christiansburg, VA Bowling Green – Glasgow, KY Brownsville – Harlingen – Raymondville, TX Brunswick, GA Burlington – South Burlington – Barre, Vermont
The following are the cities with the lowest short-term fine particle pollution:
Amarillo – Pampa – Borger, TX
Asheville-Marion-Bridgewater.
Bangor, NC, Baton Rouge, Maine, Bloomington-Bedford, Brunswick, Georgia Cedar Rapids, Iowa Iowa City, Iowa
and the cities with the lowest year-round fine particle pollution:
#1: Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, Hawaii
#1: Downtown Honolulu, Hawaii
#3: Cheyenne, Wyoming
#3: Wilmington, North Carolina
#5: Bangor, Maine
#6 : Washington State
Bellingham #7 : St. George, Utah
#8 : Duluth, Minnesota-Wisconsin
#9 : Amarillo, Texas Pampa Borg
#9: Colorado Springs, Colorado
#9: Maryland-Delaware Salisbury-Cambridge
If you want to compare your city to others – bragging to your friends or perhaps weighing your moving options – there is a comparison tool that allows you to select any two cities and see how they rank on various metrics. It also shows how many people live in each of the two areas, broken down by at-risk groups: how many seniors, how many childhood asthma cases and how many pregnant women there are in each area.
The ALA also has a page of recommendations for improving the country’s air quality. At the local, state and federal levels, we can lobby for better regulations. As individuals, we can check airnow.gov to learn about local air quality and consider using tax credits to switch to electric cars or low-emission ways to heat and cook food.
