The Los Angeles-Long Beach is the nation’s smoggiest region, according to a report released Wednesday by the American Lung Association.
The study released Wednesday also documented the region’s inordinate short-term and year-round particle pollution.
The annual State of the Air report found that nearly 50% of United States residents breathe unhealthy levels of air pollution, with 156 million people living in regions that received “F” grades for either smog or particle pollution.
Researchers found Los Angeles-Long Beach has the most ozone, or smog pollution in the U.S. Five regions in California were among the top 10 most polluted areas. Visalia ranked second, Bakersfield-Delano third, Fresno-Hanford-Corcoran fifth and San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad eighth.
“Ground-level ozone pollution, also known as smog, is a powerful respiratory irritant whose effects have been likened to a sunburn of the lungs,” according a Lung Association statement. “Inhaling ozone can cause shortness of breath, trigger coughing and asthma attacks and may shorten life. Warmer temperatures driven by climate change make ozone more likely to form and harder to clean up.”
For short-term particle pollution, Los Angeles-Long Beach was the seventh-most polluted region in the country and fifth-most polluted for year-round particle pollution. “Short-term” refers to daily increases in particle pollution, or soot, while the year-round total is an annual average.
San Bernardino County ranked as the nation’s most ozone-polluted locale, followed by Riverside, Los Angeles, Tulare and Kern counties. Kern County in Central California also topped the list as the most polluted county for short-term as well as annual particle pollution.
Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties each received a failing grade for all three pollution categories, as did Fresno, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, Sacramento, San Bernardino, Stanislaus, Sutter and Tulare counties, according to the report.
“Families across the U.S. are dealing with the health impacts of air pollution every day, and extreme heat and wildfires are making it worse,” Lung Association President/CEO Harold Wimmer said in a statement. “Air pollution is causing kids to have asthma attacks, making people who work outdoors sick, and leading to low birth weight in babies. This year’s report shows the dramatic impact that air pollution has on a growing number of people.”
More information on the air quality study is at lung.org/research/sota.
