The American Lung Association has released its annual “State of the Air” report and its findings are troubling. Most Americans live in counties with air pollution so bad that it is a severe risk to their health. According to the report, that means 166 million people are at risk of an early death and significant health problems including asthma, developmental damage and cancer.
Without a doubt the most concerning discovery made by the American Lung Association was that short-term particle pollution had increased sharply since last year’s report: “Short-term spikes” of particle pollution hit record levels in seven of the 25 most polluted U.S. cities in this period.
Short-term particle pollution refers to a particular type of pollutant that is not regularly airborne; spikes tend to coincide with weather patterns. What’s more, it is without a doubt an apparent shift toward more frequent droughts, lower rainfalls, increasing heat and more frequent wildfires can be linked directly to climate disruption.
According to the American Lung Association, these are the top U.S. cities affected most by short-term particle pollution:
1. Bakersfield, Calif.
2. Fresno-Madera, Calif.
3. Visalia-Porterville-Hanford, Calif.
4. Modesto-Merced, Calif.
5. Fairbanks, Ala.
6. Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem, Utah
7. Logan, Utah
8. San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, Calif.
9. Los Angeles-Long Beach, Calif.
10. Missoula, Mont.
Fortunately, it’s not all bad news. The report says 16 cities boasted record low for year-round particle pollution levels. As the term implies, this measures the average particle pollution over the span of a year.
Below are the top 10 U.S. cities for year-round particle pollution:
1. Bakersfield, Calif.
2. Visalia-Porterville-Hanford, Calif.
3. Fresno-Madera, Calif.
4. Los Angeles-Long Beach, Calif.
5. El Centro, Calif.
6. / 7. Tied: Modesto-Merced, Calif. and San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, Calif.
8. Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton region of Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia
9. Harrisburg-York-Lebanon, Pa.
10. Louisville-Jefferson, Ky.
Continue reading at ENN affiliate, Care2.
California smog image via Shutterstock.