( NEXSTAR ) — No matter where you live in the U. S., it’s probably important to you that the air you breathe is clean and safe. How can you really tell if something is” clean air” by looking up in the sky?
The American Lung Association is here to help with that. The business releases an quarterly State of the Air report that highlights the nation’s finest and most poisoned locations based on year-round particle pollution in the air.
Particle pollution is a result of small pieces of solids and liquids in the air we breathe, according to the American Lung Association. Typically, it can come from businesses, power plants, and diesel and gasoline- powered cars. It can also occur from fire, wood stoves, or ovens.
Most particles are too small to be seen, but when levels of pollutants are large enough, they can cause the air to look thick and foggy.
Exposure to higher rates of these particles can result in sickness, treatment, and early death. According to the American Lung Association, these molecules are responsible for almost 48, 000 unnecessary deaths in the United States each year.
The American Lung Association evaluated the year-round particle pollution in each area from 2020 to 2022 in the most recent Condition of the Air report, determining whether a city passed or failed based on whether its ordinary particle pollution was higher or lower than 9 micrograms of waste per square meter. The National Ambient Air Quality Standards ( NAAQS ) consider 9 g/m3 to be the baseline.
Getting at the top of the list of most polluted cities is Bakersfield, California, which more than doubled the NAAQS foundation with an average monthly particle pollution of 18.8 µg/m3.
Six of California’s ten most poisoned places placed in the top ten overall, which was disappointing. The rest of the best ten was made up of three other eastern states. Arizona and Alaska each had one city in the major ten, while Oregon had two in the top ten.
Here’s the complete list of the top ten most poisoned cities, according to the 2024 State of the Air statement:
- Bakersfield, CA – 18.8 µg/m3
- Visalia, CA – 18.4 µg/m3
- Fresno- Madera- Hanford, CA– 17.5 µg/m3
- Eugene- Springfield, And – 14.7 µg/m3
- San Jose- San Francisco- Oakland, CA – 14.3 µg/m3
- Los Angeles- Long Beach, CA – 14 µg/m3
- Sacramento- Roseville, CA – 13.8 µg/m3
- Medford- Offers Pass, And– 13.5 µg/m3
- Phoenix- Me, AZ – 12.4 µg/m3
- Fairbanks, AK – 12.2 µg/m3
Other significant cities that were just outside the top ten include Indianapolis, Detroit, Las Vegas, Kansas City, and Chicago.
On the other side of the spectrum, some parts of the western United States were also regarded as the country’s finest towns. Honolulu, Hawaii, finished as the finest city in the U. S. with only an average annual electron waste of 3.7 µg/m3. Hawaii also finished not far behind with another area, Maui’s Lahaina rail region, at No. 3. Since this document looked at 2020- 2022, the 2023 Lahaina flames were never taken into account. Casper, Wyoming, finished sandwiched between them at No. 2.
Moreover, only two East Coast locations made the top ten with Wilmington, North Carolina, coming in at No. 4 and Bangor, Maine, at No. 5. Check out the remaining locations on the list:
- Honolulu, HI – 3.7 µg/m3
- Casper, WY – 3.8 µg/m3
- Kahului- Wailuku- Lahaina, HI – 4.0 µg/m3
- Wilmington, NC – 4.4 µg/m3
- Bangor, ME – 4.5 µg/m3
- Cheyenne, WY– 4.9 µg/m3
- Duluth, MN- WI – 5.1 µg/m3
- Colorado Springs, CO – 5.5 µg/m3
- Anchorage, AK – 5.6 µg/m3
- St. George, UT – 5.6 µg/m3
In terms of how the United States compares to the rest of the world, IQAir ranked the United States as the 102nd most poisoned nation last year, with an annual particle pollution rate of 9.1 g/m3. For perspective, Bangladesh, finished as the most poisoned land with 79.9 µg/m3.
