Despite a decade of progress in cleaning up the air in cities, more than
half the population of the United States still suffers pollution levels
that are too often dangerous to breathe, according to an annual report
by the American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2010 report.
The report finds that reductions in emissions from coal-fired powered plants and the transition to cleaner diesel fuels have cut levels of deadly particle and ozone pollution, especially in eastern and midwestern U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland, New York City, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Washington, DC/Baltimore, MD.
But unhealthy air remains a threat to the lives and health of more that 175 million people–roughly 58% of the population. And, despite progress in many places, the report finds that some cities, mostly in California, had air that was more polluted than in the previous report.
“State of the Air 2010 proves with hard data that cleaning up air pollution produces healthier air,” said Mary H. Partridge, American Lung Association National Board Chair. “However, more needs to be done. We are working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on additional measures that will require even greater clean up of power plants. We are also calling for additional funding to install equipment to clean up the 20 million dirty diesel vehicles currently on the road polluting U.S. cities every day.”
The State of the Air report provides a national air quality “report card,” based on the color-coded Air Quality Index, to assign grades to counties. The 2010 report uses air pollution data, collected in 2006, 2007 and 2008. These data come from official monitors for the two most widespread types of pollution: ozone–or smog–and particle pollution–or soot. Particle pollution data are graded according to both year-round and short-term levels. The report ranks cities and counties based on their scores.
State of the Air 2010 includes for the first time population estimates for people living in poverty as a specific at-risk group. Research indicates that people living in lower socioeconomic conditions face greater risk from air pollution. The largest examination of particle pollution mortality nationwide by Johns Hopkins University found in 2008 that low socioeconomic status consistently increased the risk of premature death from fine particle pollution among 13.2 million Medicare recipients. A 2008 study of Washington, DC, found that poor air quality and worsened asthma went hand-in-hand in areas where Medicaid enrollment was high.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is currently considering
tighter limits on ozone. Those limits, called national ambient air
quality standards, drive the work that communities around the nation do
to clean up ozone and other pollutants. The Lung Association has called
on the EPA to set standards that provide much greater protection for
public health.
“The American Lung Association is calling for
Congress to pass the Clean Air Act Amendments of 2010, which will cut
emissions from coal-fired power plants that create particle pollution
and ozone,” said Charles D. Connor, American Lung Association President and CEO. “The Lung Association also calls on Congress to
also ensure that only clean diesel equipment is used in
federally-funded construction projects, and to provide funds for the
cleanup of existing diesel engines. The EPA needs to finish measures to
clean up power plants, strengthen national standards for outdoor air
pollutants–especially ozone and particle pollution–and set tough new
standards to require the cleanup of nitrogen oxide, hydrocarbons and
particle emissions from cars.”
Visit www.lungusa.org to search
local air quality grades by zip code and
to send messages to Congress and the Obama Administration to urge
action to protect the air we breathe.
NATION’S CLEANEST CITIES
Cleanest U.S. Cities for Short-term Particle Pollution (24 Hour PM2.5) (Cities all received an “A”.)
• Alexandria, La.
• Amarillo, Texas
• Athens-Clarke County, Ga.
• Austin-Round Rock, Texas
• Bangor, Maine
• Billings, Mont.
• Bloomington-Normal, Ill.
• Brownsville-Harlingen-Raymondville, Texas
• Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla.
• Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
• Cheyenne, Wyo.
• Claremont-Lebanon, N.H.-Vt.
• Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Corpus Christi-Kingsville, Texas
• Fargo-Wahpeton, N.D.-Minn.
• Farmington, N.M.
• Fayetteville, N.C.
• Fort Collins-Loveland, Colo.
• Grand Junction, Colo.
• Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Miss.
• Hattiesburg, Miss.
• Jackson-Yazoo City, Miss.
• Lafayette-Acadiana, La.
• Lincoln, Neb.
• Longview-Marshall, Texas
• McAllen-Edinburg-Pharr, Texas
• Oklahoma City-Shawnee, Okla.
• Pueblo, Colo.
• Salinas, Calif.
• San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, Calif.
• Santa Fe-Espanola, N.M.
• Sarasota-Bradenton-Punta Gorda, Fla.
• Springfield, Ill.
• Springfield, Mo.
• St. Joseph, Mo.-Kan.
• Syracuse-Auburn, N.Y.
• Topeka, Kan.
• Tucson, Ariz.
10 Cleanest U.S. Cities for Long-term Particle Pollution (Annual PM2.5) (Cities listed in rank order. Duplicate position numbers indicate ties.)
1. Cheyenne, Wyo.
2. Santa Fe-Espanola, N.M.
3. Honolulu, Hawaii
4. Anchorage, Alaska
5. Great Falls, Mont.
6. Tucson, Ariz.
7. Amarillo, Texas
8. Albuquerque, N.M.
9. Flagstaff, Ariz.
10. Bismarck, N.D.
Cleanest U.S. Cities for Ozone Air Pollution (Cities all received an “A”)
• Bismarck, N.D.
• Brownsville-Harlingen-Raymondville, Texas
• Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
• Duluth, Minn.-Wis.
• Fargo-Wahpeton, N.D.-Minn.
• Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark.-Mo.
• Honolulu, Hawaii
• Laredo, Texas
• Lincoln, Neb.
• Port St. Lucie-Sebastian-Vero Beach, Fla.
• Rochester, Minn.
• Sioux Falls, S.D.
NATION’S MOST POLLUTED CITIES
10 U.S. Cities Most Polluted by Short-term Particle Pollution (24 Hour PM2.5)
1. Bakersfield, Calif.
2. Fresno-Madera, Calif.
3. Pittsburgh-New Castle, Pa.
4. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, Calif.
5. Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, Ala.
6. Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Yuba City, Calif-Nev.
7. Salt Lake City-Ogden-Clearfield, Utah
8. Visalia-Porterville, Calif.
9. Modesto, Calif.
10. Hanford-Corcoran, Calif.
10 U.S. Cities Most Polluted by Year-Round Particle Pollution (Annual PM2.5) (Cities listed in rank order. Duplicate position numbers indicate ties.)
1. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz.
2. Bakersfield, Calif.
3. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, Calif.
4. Visalia-Porterville, Calif.
5. Pittsburgh-New Castle, Pa.
6. Fresno-Madera, Calif.
7. Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, Ala.
8. Hanford-Corcoran, Calif.
9. Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, Ohio-Ky.-Ind.
10. St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington,
Mo.-Ill.
10 U.S. Cities Most Polluted by Ozone (Cities listed in rank order.)
1. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, Calif.
2. Bakersfield, Calif.
3. Visalia-Porterville, Calif.
4. Fresno-Madera, Calif.
5. Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Yuba City, Calif-Nev.
6. Hanford-Corcoran, Calif.
7. Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, Texas
8. San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, Calif.
9. San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, Calif.
10. Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury, N.C.-S.C.
Loading...