These California cities are among the worst for air pollution in the US, report says
The coronavirus pandemic has led to refreshing drops in air pollution across the country, but a new report looking at three years worth of data reveals a sobering truth.
California, the most populated state in the country, is home to some of the most polluted cities in the U.S.
The culprit? Wildfires.
The researchers say climate change is responsible for more intense wildfires that produce dangerous smoke, contributing to poor air quality across western communities.
The findings come from data collected from 2016 to 2019 and were reported in the American Lung Association’s 21st annual “State of the Air” report.
Degraded air quality threatens everyone, but more so children, older adults and people living with lung disease, according to the study.
“This year’s report shows that climate change continues to degrade air quality and increase the risk of air pollution harming health,” ALA President and CEO Harold Wimmer said in a statement. “To protect the advances in air quality we fought for 50 years ago through the Clean Air Act, we must again act today, implementing effective policies to protect our air quality and lung health against the threat of climate change.”
Taking the top five spots for “most polluted by year-round particle pollution” in the U.S are Bakersfield, the Fresno-Madera-Hanford area, Visalia, Los Angeles-Long Beach and San Jose-San Francisco — in that order — the report said. The city of El Centro also made the top 10, ranking in eighth place.
Particle pollution refers to microscopic remnants from wildfires, wood-burning stoves, coal-fired power plants and diesel engines, among other sources, the study said.
These particles can get stuck deep in your lungs and even enter your bloodstream, the researchers said, triggering asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, and can cause lung cancer in extreme cases.
Ironically, some cities experienced their cleanest ever annual average, yet still made it on the nation’s most polluted list, the study revealed. Fresno-Madera-Hanford being one of them. This metro area tied with its own previous record of cleanest air in the 21-year history of the report, the study said.
The report also ranked cities by their ozone pollution levels. This time, California cities swiped the first six spots in the top 10. Here’s the order.
- Los Angeles-Long Beach
- Visalia
- Bakersfield
- Fresno-Madera-Hanford
- Sacramento-Roseville
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland made eighth place, according to the report, but still, the city experienced its best-ever air quality for ozone during the studied time period.
Ozone pollution is more commonly known as smog, the orange-toned mixture of different harmful chemicals in the air, often making it difficult to see. Inhaling this polluted air can cause shortness of breath, coughing and asthma attacks, the researchers said.
Another group of researchers found that a reduction in smog in Southern California led to a 20% drop in new asthma cases in children over a 20-year time frame, a 2019 University of Southern California study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported.
Warmer temperatures driven by climate change make ozone more likely to form and harder to clean up, the report said.
What’s more, the three years the data were based on were among the five hottest recorded in global history, researchers said, highlighting climate change’s impact on air quality.
On a lighter note, eastern cities in Maine, Vermont and North Carolina ranked the cleanest in the country. Honolulu, Hawaii also made that list.
“The science is clear: the nation needs stronger limits on ozone and particle pollution to safeguard health, especially for children and people with lung disease,” Wimmer said in the statement. “Every family has the right to breathe healthy air - and the right to know when air pollution levels are unhealthy.”
This story was originally published April 21, 2020 at 9:08 AM with the headline "These California cities are among the worst for air pollution in the US, report says."
