The American Lung Association just published their annual State of the Air 2009 (PDF). This is a report that summarizes air pollution levels in cities throughout the United States. Its most interesting and notable feature for the general public are the rankings for most polluted cities, most polluted counties, cleanest cities, and cleanest counties. The three principal reporting categories include short-term particle pollution (24-hour PM2.5), year-round particle pollution (Annual PM2.5), and ozone content.
This year’s top 25 most polluted cities by year-round particle pollution (annual PM2.5):
- Bakersfield, CA
- Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA
- Visalia-Porterville, CA
- Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, AL
- Hanford-Corcoran, CA
- Fresno-Madera, CA
- Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN
- Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI
- Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH
- Charleston, WV
- Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH
- Louisville-Jefferson County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, KY-IN
- Macon-Warner Robbins-Fort Valley, GA
- St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL
- Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL
- Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN
- Rome, GA
- Canton-Massillon, OH
- York-Hanover-Gettysburg, PA
- Lancaster, PA
- New York-Neward-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA
- Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV
- Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX
Once again, California takes several of the top spots. The Midwest is also well represented on this list of polluted cities. As for the cleanest cities, Cheyenne (Wyoming) was again ranked the best for long-term pollution, followed by Santa Fe (New Mexico) and Honolulu (Hawaii). So, there is yet another reason to move to Hawai’i.
