Alot of why L.A. has such a bad smog problem is the fact that it's situated in a bowl. What should be more suprising is how flat land cities like Pittsburgh, St Louis, Cleveland, and Houston have such bad air qualities.
The Nations Most Polluted Metros
LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles can continue being the butt of smog jokes now that it has once again topped the American Lung Association's bad air list of most polluted cities in America.
The association found that the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside metropolitan area had the worst air based on 2003 through 2005 figures.
The Pittsburgh area was ranked as the nation's second most polluted metropolitan area followed by Bakersfield, Calif., Birmingham, Ala., Detroit and Cleveland. Visalia, Calif., Cincinnati, Indianapolis and St. Louis rounded out the top 10.
The news wasn't all bad for Los Angeles. Despite the dubious distinction, the number of days residents breathed the nation's worst ozone levels was fewer than in previous years.
"Nobody is surprised that LA has an air pollution problem," said Janice Nolen, the association's assistant vice president for national policy and advocacy. "The problems there are one of the reasons we have the Clean Air Act. But it is important for folks to know that there has been some improvement."
The organization based the rankings on ozone pollution levels produced when heat and sunlight come into contact with pollutants from power plants, cars, refineries and other sources. The group also studied particle pollution levels emitted from these sources, which are made up of a mix of tiny solid and liquid particles in the air.
Such pollution can contribute to heart disease, lung cancer and asthma attacks, the association said. Those especially vulnerable to polluted air are children, senior citizens, people who work or exercise outdoors and people with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Nearly half of the U.S. population lives in counties that still have unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution, even though there appeared to be less ozone in many counties than previous years, the study found.
The association found that the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside metropolitan area had the worst air based on 2003 through 2005 figures.
The Pittsburgh area was ranked as the nation's second most polluted metropolitan area followed by Bakersfield, Calif., Birmingham, Ala., Detroit and Cleveland. Visalia, Calif., Cincinnati, Indianapolis and St. Louis rounded out the top 10.
The news wasn't all bad for Los Angeles. Despite the dubious distinction, the number of days residents breathed the nation's worst ozone levels was fewer than in previous years.
"Nobody is surprised that LA has an air pollution problem," said Janice Nolen, the association's assistant vice president for national policy and advocacy. "The problems there are one of the reasons we have the Clean Air Act. But it is important for folks to know that there has been some improvement."
The organization based the rankings on ozone pollution levels produced when heat and sunlight come into contact with pollutants from power plants, cars, refineries and other sources. The group also studied particle pollution levels emitted from these sources, which are made up of a mix of tiny solid and liquid particles in the air.
Such pollution can contribute to heart disease, lung cancer and asthma attacks, the association said. Those especially vulnerable to polluted air are children, senior citizens, people who work or exercise outdoors and people with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Nearly half of the U.S. population lives in counties that still have unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution, even though there appeared to be less ozone in many counties than previous years, the study found.
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I was surprised to see Cleveland and St. Louis on the listAlot of why L.A. has such a bad smog problem is the fact that it's situated in a bowl. What should be more suprising is how flat land cities like Pittsburgh, St Louis, Cleveland, and Houston have such bad air qualities.
Ok, not so much Pittsburgh, but I wouldn't say they are sorrounded by mountains either (not like L.A. is).Pittsburgh is flat?
They didn't even mention water pollution? I don't really think you can name a most polluted city when you leave out a big variable like that.
^ maybe because the study was conducted by the American Lung Association?
I don't trust the AHA...theyre a bunch of reactionaries. The main thing they fail to mention is that the pollution is not always from factories and cars but from farms. The CA Central Valley is usually ranked as one of the most polluted in the country because of the amount of dust in the air. Also, weather has a a lot to do with pollution levels and hotter places will usually show higher levels of airborne contamination.
hno:
hno:
Pittsburgh?
A little bit of a suprise because all I hear coming from there is how they cleaned up from the steel mill age, and how livable it is now. I wonder how the entire list looks like.
I'm not a fan of lists.
A little bit of a suprise because all I hear coming from there is how they cleaned up from the steel mill age, and how livable it is now. I wonder how the entire list looks like.
I'm not a fan of lists.
Pittsburgh is far from flat.Alot of why L.A. has such a bad smog problem is the fact that it's situated in a bowl. What should be more suprising is how flat land cities like Pittsburgh, St Louis, Cleveland, and Houston have such bad air qualities.
While Pittsburgh is anything but flat, this list is really screws the region. One of the monitors is near one of the few mills left in the area. Everytime this list comes out it creates controversy in the area as the one reading from the mill monitor greatly overshadows the other ones which are within normal measurements.
American Lung Association List 2007
The ALA listed these urban areas as the worst across the United States:
1: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, Calif.
2: Pittsburgh-New Castle, Pa.
3: Bakersfield, Calif.
4: Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, Ala.
5: Detroit-Warren-Flint, Mich.
6: Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, Ohio
7: Visalia-Porterville, Calif.
8: Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, Ohio, Ky., Ind.
9: Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, Ind.
10: St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, Mo., Ill.
11: Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, Ill., Ind., Wis. (tie)
11: Lancaster, Pa.
13: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, Ga., Ala.
14: York-Hanover-Gettysburg, Pa.
15: Fresno-Madera, Calif. (tie)
15: Weirton-Steubenville, W.Va., Ohio
17: Hanford-Corcoran, Calif. (tie)
17: New York-Newark-Bridgeport, N.Y., N.J., Conn.
19: Canton-Massillon, Ohio
20: Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, D.C., Md., Va. (tie)
20: Charleston, W.Va.
22: Louisville-Jefferson County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, Ky., Ind.
23: Huntington-Ashland, W.Va., Ky., Ohio
24: Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, Pa., N.J., Del., Md. (tie)
24: Hagerstown-Martinsburg, Md., W.Va.
24: Rome, Ga.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
The ALA listed these urban areas as the worst across the United States:
1: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, Calif.
2: Pittsburgh-New Castle, Pa.
3: Bakersfield, Calif.
4: Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, Ala.
5: Detroit-Warren-Flint, Mich.
6: Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, Ohio
7: Visalia-Porterville, Calif.
8: Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, Ohio, Ky., Ind.
9: Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, Ind.
10: St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, Mo., Ill.
11: Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, Ill., Ind., Wis. (tie)
11: Lancaster, Pa.
13: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, Ga., Ala.
14: York-Hanover-Gettysburg, Pa.
15: Fresno-Madera, Calif. (tie)
15: Weirton-Steubenville, W.Va., Ohio
17: Hanford-Corcoran, Calif. (tie)
17: New York-Newark-Bridgeport, N.Y., N.J., Conn.
19: Canton-Massillon, Ohio
20: Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, D.C., Md., Va. (tie)
20: Charleston, W.Va.
22: Louisville-Jefferson County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, Ky., Ind.
23: Huntington-Ashland, W.Va., Ky., Ohio
24: Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, Pa., N.J., Del., Md. (tie)
24: Hagerstown-Martinsburg, Md., W.Va.
24: Rome, Ga.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Am I missing Houston on that list? I swear I've read that they had some of the worst air pollution in the country.
That is a hilarious list....
It has some large and knowledgeable metro areas, and it also contains some of the most random places in the country.
Who would have known that small burgs like Visalia, CA and Lanaster, PA (both in the middle of farmland) would be in the top 15?
It has some large and knowledgeable metro areas, and it also contains some of the most random places in the country.
Who would have known that small burgs like Visalia, CA and Lanaster, PA (both in the middle of farmland) would be in the top 15?
LOL Hagerstown. That's such a quintessential small town. That's surprising.
do they have a longer list than the top 24?
These lists have differing criteria.
How else to explain that Miami made the top spot on the American Lung Association list of least polluted cities, while Minneapolis and Honolulu were the top US cities of the World's cleanest cities just last week?
How else to explain that Miami made the top spot on the American Lung Association list of least polluted cities, while Minneapolis and Honolulu were the top US cities of the World's cleanest cities just last week?
Yeah, Pittsburgh ain't flat. Probably a minor smog bowl effect going on there. Especially considering that any receptor is going to be close to the ground, those hills might as well be 10k ft mountains.
It always boggled my mind how Houston ranked so high. So oil refining is a heavy polluter. It's a flat city on a coastal plain. I dunno, I'd think being on a coast and the air circulation inherent to that would have a tendency to clean it up.
It always boggled my mind how Houston ranked so high. So oil refining is a heavy polluter. It's a flat city on a coastal plain. I dunno, I'd think being on a coast and the air circulation inherent to that would have a tendency to clean it up.
True, but what about from the residents' standopint instead of the ALA's standpoint? Who cares if your air is clean if the water you're drinking gives you cancer?^ maybe because the study was conducted by the American Lung Association?
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