Worst U.S. cities for air pollution ranked by lung association

Almost four retired of each 10 people successful nan United States unrecorded successful a spot wherever aerial contamination is considered bad capable to put their wellness astatine risk, nan American Lung Association warned successful its latest "State of nan Air" report released connected Wednesday. That proportionality of group — astir 39% of nan organization — had risen sharply since earlier rounds of pollutant information were analyzed for nan yearly study past year, and nan trends were particularly pronounced successful definite parts of nan country.

This year's aerial value study was based connected contamination information collected successful 2020, 2021 and 2022 by nan Environmental Protection Agency. The American Lung Association, a kindness statement focused connected improving lung wellness and addressing lung disease,has released "State of nan Air" reports annually since 2000.

The caller report's findings show that astir 131 cardinal Americans were breathing unhealthy aerial during nan three-year monitoring period. That number had jumped by almost 10% since nan lung relation issued its "State of nan Air" study successful 2023, erstwhile information showed 11.7 cardinal less group had been regularly exposed to toxic and perchance deadly pollutants. Echoing longstanding concerns from experts and advocates crossed nan board, nan newest findings item a disproportionate biology threat to group of color.

Air value monitoring

Since the Clean Air Act was signed into rule successful 1970, emissions of nan six astir communal aerial pollutants person fallen by 78%, according to nan EPA. But experts pass that ambiance alteration has made aerial value harder to negociate successful spite of policies designed to protect it, particularly arsenic increasing sections of nan state grapple pinch soaring temperatures, longstanding drought and unprecedented wildfires.

Smoky haze from wildfires successful Canada diminished nan visibility of nan Empire State Building connected June 7, 2023, successful New York City.  DAVID DEE DELGADO / Getty Images

"High ozone days and spikes successful particle contamination related to utmost heat, drought and wildfires are putting millions of group astatine consequence and adding challenges to nan activity that states and cities are doing crossed nan federation to cleanable up aerial pollution," nan report's authors wrote.

Two groups of pollutants were examined: good particles, which are emitted straight into nan aerial from combustion and immoderate chemic reactions, and ozone, which is usually produced erstwhile different aerial pollutants respond pinch sunlight successful nan atmosphere. For good particles, nan contamination trends were surgery down into short-term and semipermanent patterns.

The American Lung Association classed U.S. cities pinch nan worst aerial value based connected regular particle pollution, yearly particle contamination and ozone betwixt 2020 and 2022. The study assigned galore cities a failing people erstwhile many times mediocre readings connected nan Air Quality Index pushed an area extracurricular nan bounds of accepted wide wellness standards. 

Worst cities for particle pollution

Exposure to particulate matter successful nan aerial tin perchance origin aliases exacerbate respiratory and cardiovascular problems, according to wellness officials. Across nan country, researchers marked a continued climb complete that three-year play successful days wherever particle contamination was considered "very unhealthy" aliases "hazardous," compared pinch years that were monitored previously. Between 2020 and 2022, location were 135 days marked "very unhealthy" and 79 marked "hazardous," pinch areas of interest dispersed crossed 58 counties lodging immoderate 32 cardinal successful 10 different states. 

Using an updated baseline modular adopted by nan EPA for nationalist aerial quality, this year's study showed much than 90 cardinal group were surviving 119 counties that received failing grades for year-round particle contamination levels. 

At nan apical of nan database of worst U.S. cities for regular and year-round particle contamination was Bakersfield, California, which received nan aforesaid ranking successful past year's "State of nan Air" report. Bakersfield, an business metropolis known for agriculture, mining and lipid refineries, has been classed worst for year-round particle contamination 5 years successful a row. 

According to nan report, aft Bakersfield, nan worst cities for year-round particle contamination betwixt 2020 and 2022 were:

• Visalia, California
• Fresno-Madera-Hanford, California
• Eugene-Springfield, Oregon
• San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, California
• Los Angeles-Long Beach, California
• Sacramento-Roseville, California
• Medford-Grants Pass, Oregon
• Phoenix-Mesa, Arizona
• Fairbanks, Alaska

Cities affected by drought and wildfires were astir prevalent connected some lists of regular and year-round particle pollution, pinch 8 successful California, and 2 each successful Nevada, Oregon and Washington. But moreover cities wherever wildfire fume and drought were little of an rumor still suffered from mediocre aerial quality, for illustration Pittsburgh, which classed 19th connected nan database of cities pinch nan particle contamination year-round and received failing grades for regular particle contamination and ozone arsenic well. 

"In nan 25 years that nan American Lung Association has been doing our 'State of nan Air' report, we person seen unthinkable betterment successful our nation's aerial quality," Kevin Stewart, nan biology wellness head astatine nan American Lung Association, told CBS Pittsburgh. "Unfortunately, much than 131 cardinal group still unrecorded successful places pinch unhealthy levels of aerial pollution, and nan Pittsburgh Metro Area is listed arsenic 1 of nan worst places for particle pollution."

Other cities wherever particle contamination severely depleted aerial value see Indianapolis, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Chicago, Oklahoma City, Augusta, Georgia, and Corpus Christi, Texas.

Worst cities for ozone 

Although ozone successful nan precocious ambiance protects Earth, precocious levels of nan state farther down tin beryllium harmful to quality wellness and nan environment. Experts person noted successful peculiar that inhaling unhealthy concentrations of ozone successful nan aerial tin origin a scope of breathing problems and moreover weaken nan lungs against infection. 

The American Lung Association's yearly reports person plotted a much optimistic, downward inclination successful ozone attraction nationwide successful nan past 20 years, arsenic biology controls forced a modulation "away from coal-fired powerfulness pants, nan dirtiest fossil fuel, and towards cleanable renewable sources of energy," nan latest study said. But it still showed astir 100 cardinal group crossed 26 states surviving successful places wherever ozone levels received a failing people for aerial quality. The study again noted that utmost heat, deficiency of precipitation and wildfires associated pinch ambiance change, mostly crossed occidental states, person undermined attempts to trim backmost connected emissions.

The position of downtown Los Angeles skyline is obscured by smoke, ash and smog arsenic seen from nan Griffith Observatory Monday, Sept. 14, 2020. Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Los Angeles — infamous for its smog, which is chiefly composed of ozone — classed arsenic nan worst metropolis for ozone contamination successful nan country, arsenic it has connected each but 1 "State of nan Air" report. After Los Angeles, nan astir polluted cities for ozone were:

• Visalia, California
• Bakersfield, California
• Fresno-Madera-Hanford, California
• Phoenix-Mesa, Arizona
• Denver-Aurora, Colorado
• Sacramento-Roseville, California
• San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, California
• Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem, Utah
• Houston-The Woodlands, Texas

Of nan 25 worst metropolitan areas for ozone pollution, 10 were successful California, and others successful conscionable six states — Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Utah — held 12 much spots. Only 3 cities successful nan eastbound U.S. made nan list, which were New York, Chicago and Grand Rapids, Michigan.

In:
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Wildfire
• Pollution
• Ozone