Find Out If You Live in One of the Most Polluted Cities in the US
There’s some good news in the American Lung Association’s State of the Air report: Only 36% of us live in places that get an F rating for ozone and fine particulate pollution. This, of course, is too much, but less than in previous years.
Air pollution trends have improved somewhat, according to the report. Emissions from cars and factories are lower than before. But climate change makes it harder to control air pollution. Heat, drought and wildfires contribute to spikes in ozone and particulate pollution. These spikes are on the increase: 64 million Americans live in places where they happen frequently.
Report measures ozone and fine particles
The report compiles government data on particulate matter and ozone pollution. The level of air pollution depends on the weather, under some conditions the amount of ozone and particulate matter in the air increases. Pollution also depends on the season and time of day.
Ozone in smog can irritate the lungs. It is especially harmful for people with asthma and COPD. Ozone exposure can also make us more susceptible to respiratory infections such as pneumonia.
Fine particle pollution has similar health effects and is also associated with cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks . Particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers is tracked by the air quality index (AQI) you see on weather reports. Be that as it may, the American Lung Association (ALA) argues that the standards are not sensitive enough, and that a “moderate” (yellow) AQI still puts many people at risk.
Which cities have the highest levels of air pollution?
Ready for results? It lists the top 25 most polluted cities and counties , and includes a map to explore areas near you. You can see where your city is by ozone, short-term emissions, or year-round emissions.
My hometown of Pittsburgh ranks 14th for year-round pollution and 20th for short-term particulate pollution, so… cheers for us? Here are the top 10 cities for ozone:
No. 1: Los Angeles – Long Beach, CA No. 2: Visalia, CA No. 3: Bakersfield, CA No. 4: Fresno – Madera – Hanford, CA No. 5: Phoenix – Mesa, Arizona No. 6: Denver – Aurora, Colorado #7: Sacramento-Roseville, CA #8: San Diego-Chula-Vista-Carlsbad, CA #9: Houston Woodlands, TX #10: Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem, UT
Top 10 for short-term particle pollution:
#1: Bakersfield, CA #2: Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA #3: Fairbanks, AC #4: Visalia, CA #5: Reno-Carson City-Fearnley, Nevada #6: San Jose-San Francisco -Oakland, CA No. 7: Redding Red Bluff, CA No. 8: Sacramento-Roseville, CA No. 9: Los Angeles – Long Beach, CA No. 9: Chico, CA
And the top 10 for year-round particle pollution:
#1: Bakersfield, CA #1: Visalia, CA #3: Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA #4: Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA #5: Fairbanks, AC #6: Sacramento-Roseville, CA #7 : Medford – Grants Pass, OR #7: San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA #7: Phoenix Mesa, AZ #10: Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN
Wildfires are a big part of the reason Western states rank high on these charts, but weather conditions, including heat, also play a role. The ALA notes that over the years, Western cities have risen in this ranking.
Which cities have the cleanest air?
There is also a list of cities with the cleanest air, measured in the same three ways. Here are the cities with the lowest ozone levels:
Albany-Schenectady, New York Asheville-Marion-Brevard, N.C. Bangor, Maine Bellingham, Washington Blacksburg-Christiansburg, Virginia Bowling Green-Glasgow, Kentucky Brownsville-Harlingen-Raymondville, Texas Brunswick, Georgia Burlington-South Burlington-Barre, Virginia
Here are the cities with the lowest levels of short-term fine particle pollution:
Amarillo-Pampa-Borger, TX Asheville-Marion-Brevard, NC Bangor, Maine Baton Rouge, Los Angeles Bloomington-Bedford, IN Brunswick, GA Burlington-Fort Madison-Keokuk, Iowa-IL-MO Cape Coral Fort -Myers-Naples, FL Cedar Rapids-Iowa City, IA
And the cities with the lowest year-round fine particle pollution:
#1: Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, Hawaii #1: Urban Honolulu, Hawaii #3: Cheyenne, Wyoming #3: Wilmington , NC #5: Bangor, Maine #6: Bellingham, Washington #7: St. George, Utah #8: Duluth, Minnesota, Wisconsin #9: Amarillo-Pampa-Borger, Texas #9: Colorado Springs, Colorado #9: Salisbury-Cambridge, Maryland, Germany
Whether you want to compare your cities to others—bragging to your friends, or perhaps weighing your options for moving—there’s a comparison tool that lets you select any two cities and see how they score on various metrics. It also shows how many people live in each of the two oblasts, broken down by risk groups: how many older people, how many cases of childhood asthma, and how many pregnancies in each oblast.
The ALA also has a page of recommendations for improving air quality in the country. At the local, state, and federal levels, we can lobby for improved rules. As individuals, we can go to airnow.gov to check local air quality and consider using tax incentives to switch to electric vehicles or low-emission ways to heat our homes and cook food.