Story at a glance
- The American Lung Association (ALA) estimates over 137 million Americans are living in places with unhealthy levels of air pollution.
- Fine particles and ozone pollution are considered the two most widespread and dangerous air pollutants.
- California was given failing air pollution grades by the ALA.
More than 137 million Americans are living in places with failing grades for unhealthy levels of air pollution, according to the American Lung Association (ALA).
The ALA created three separate lists highlighting the 25 worst cities for ozone pollution, short-term exposure particle pollution and year-round particle pollution. The ALA defines fine particles and ozone as the two most widespread and dangerous air pollutants. The federal government’s Clean Air Act has helped reduce dangerous pollutants from transportation, power plants and manufacturing, however paired with a changing climate, the ALA believes it’s becoming harder to protect human health.
Starting with ozone air pollution, a type of pollutant that makes it harder to breathe for millions of Americans, often called smog. It comes out of tailpipes in cars, smokestacks and other sources.
Ozone pollution, or smog, comes from cars, smokestacks and other sources and makes it harder to breathe for millions of Americans. Four different cities in California take the top spots in ALA’s 25 most polluted cities by ozone:
- Los Angeles- Long Beach, CA—an average of nearly 180 bad air days
- Bakersfield, CA – an average of 95 bad air days
- Visalia, CA – an average of nearly 92 bad air days
- Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA – an average of 60 bad air days
- Phoenix- Mesa, AZ – an average of 39 bad air days
There were also some 63.2 million people that lived in areas that earned an F for unhealthy spikes in particulate matter air pollution, which ALA defines as short-term pollution. That’s a type of pollution that can kill, as peaks in particle pollution can last from hours to days. It has many harmful effects, ranging from decreased lung function to heart attacks. ALA’s list of 25 cities polluted daily by particle matter was again dominated by California.
- Fresno-Madera-Hartford, CA – an average of 51 bad air days
- Bakersfield, CA – an average of 41 bad air days
- Fairbanks, AK – an average of 37 bad air days
- San Jose- San Francisco-Oakland, CA – an average of 27 bad air days
- Redding-Red Bluff, CA – an average of 24 bad air days
There are also areas of the country impacting over 20.9 million people where year-round particle pollution levels are worse than the national air quality limit. Recent wildfires in the West caused year-round particle pollution to rise. Cities with high power plant emissions and local industrial sources also tend to have high amounts of year-round particle pollution.
- Bakersfield, CA – an average of 17 bad air days
- Visalia, CA – an average of 16 bad air days
- Fresno- Madera-Hanford, CA – an average of 16 bad air days
- San Jose-San Francisco- Oakland, CA – an average of 14 bad air days
- Lose Angeles- Long Beach, CA – an average of 14 bad air days
Individuals can take steps to protect themselves and their families, with the ALA recommending checking daily air pollution forecasts. People can also prioritize walking and taking public transportation over gasoline-powered cars.
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