Almost Half of California Counties Fail Clean Air Test-- Los Angeles and Riverside Top National Bad Air List

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

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From the American Lung Association of California

California cities and counties continue to dominate the list of places with the worst air pollution in the national American Lung Association State of the Air: 2007 report released today. The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside metropolitan area continues to sit atop the list of most polluted cities for 24-hour particle pollution, annual particle pollution. and ozone pollution levels. Riverside County ranked worst nationwide for particle pollution, as did San Bernardino County for ozone pollution. By contrast, Salinas ranked as one of the three cleanest cities in the nation for ozone and both measurements of particle pollution.

You can click on a chart to see how your locality fares.

Twenty-six of California’s 52 counties with air quality monitoring stations received failing grades. California counties receiving F grades on one or more of the three pollutant lists (in alphabetical order) are: Butte, Calaveras, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Shasta, Stanislaus, Tulare and Ventura.

“We see improvement in some areas of the state, but the level of particle and ozone pollution in California remains dangerously high,” said Tony Gerber, MD, an American Lung Association of California volunteer. “Too many Californians are breathing unhealthy air. Science clearly shows that air pollution is hazardous, even deadly, at levels we once thought were safe.” Dr. Gerber is a pulmonary specialist and assistant professor at the University of California, San Francisco.

Many California counties remain among the most burdened by ozone and particle pollution in the nation. However, there were overall many fewer high pollution days than in previous reports. California counties also were among the most improved nationwide; for example, 32 counties dropped their year-round particle pollution levels. California’s improvements came while much of the eastern U.S. suffered increases in particle pollution.