The Dirtiest Spots in America

Big environmental organizations like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the American Lung Association measure pollution three ways. They measure it by ozone pollution, short-term soot exposure and year-round soot exposure. Ozone pollution is caused by things like vehicle exhaust and factories releasing nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds from burning coal and gasoline. Soot is made up mainly of minute carbon particles and a few other elements. It's created during the incineration of such fuels as coal, gas, kerosene and wood. Because these particles are so fine, they easily enter the respiratory system and can cause health problems. Short-term exposure is more harmful to older folks and young children. Long-term exposure is harmful to people of any age. So which areas in the U.S. are the most polluted?

Topping the list of most polluted areas in America is the Los Angeles metro area. This area includes L.A. Long Beach and Riverside, California. Although their pollution rates have decreased slightly over the last couple of years, they've still managed to retain their spot at the top of the list. This is due mainly to the high levels of heavy, constant traffic, heavy industry and heat.

Next on the list is the Pittsburgh-New Castle area of Pennsylvania. Like L.A., Pittsburgh has had a downward trend of particle pollution for the last 2 years. Coal burning power plants are the major cause of all this pollution, with vehicles coming in second. Hopefully, the emission controls they've set up will continue to lower particle rates.

Number three is Bakersfield, California. The biggest cause of Bakersfield's pollution stems from construction. The city has been growing at a phenomenal rate and all that construction equipment is having a bad effect on the environment. Currently, emission controls for construction equipment is woefully inadequate. Couple that with major roads like Rt. 99 and U.S. 5 and you have a recipe for poor quality air.

Coming in fourth place is the Fresno-Madera area of California. Waste disposal and vehicle emissions are the biggest causes of pollution in this area. This area shares the came problems as Bakersfield with regards to Rt.99 and U.S. 5.

Placing 5th on the list of worst polluted areas is Houston, Texas. Houston has two really big problems contributing to its pollution. It has a high concentration of refineries and chemical plants and heavy traffic. Efforts are currently underway to find ways to combat their growing pollution problems. Rounding out the top 10 worst areas, in no particular order are Birmingham AL, Logan UT, Dallas-Ft. Worth TX, Sacramento CA and Salt Lake City UT. Some cities may have more smog or ozone problems while others have more soot particles, but these cities have the worst of each.

These are the worst polluted areas in the United States. As you can see, the major contributors to pollution are heavy industry and motor vehicle traffic. While these are issues that any large metropolis faces, some fare worse than others. Currently, about one in eight Americans live in areas with unhealthy levels of soot or ozone pollution. Enacting stricter emission controls on all types of vehicles, including large commercial ones, will go a long way to alleviating this problem. Installing better air scrubbers in industrial buildings will also help.

If all this bad news is depressing you, don't fret. Here is a short list of areas with the cleanest air: Cheyenne WY, Santa Fe NM, Honolulu HI, Great Falls MT and Farmington NM. Here's some more good news for you. While the cities mentioned earlier have the worst pollution in the U.S., pollution overall has been in a slow decline since the late 1990s. This is thanks to governmental requirements to clean up emissions. However, we can't leave it up to the government and big business to do everything. We can all play a part in cleaning our air