- 41% of Americans, or 127 million people, live in areas with air that is often unhealthy to breath.
- This is according to the American Lung Association, which just released its annual ‘State of the Air’ report. The top 5 most polluted cities, as determined by year-round pollution, are in California. See top ten list below.
- California, and particularly its Central Valley, have the most polluted air in the country. In fact, 9 of the top 10 cities with highest level of ozone pollution are found there.
- Bakersfield, CA is the city with the most year-round particulate pollution in the country
- One bright spot: 22 of the 25 most polluted cities showed signs of improvement from last year’s report.
Top Ten list below.
Cities with the Most Year-Round Particulate Pollution
#1: Bakersfield-Delano, CA
#2: Hanford-Corcoran, CA
#3: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA
#4: Visalia-Porterville, CA
#5: Fresno-Madera, CA
#6: Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA
#7: Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ
#8: Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN
#9: Louisville-Jefferson County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, KY-IN
#10: Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD
#10 (It’s a tie!): St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL