California cities nearly covered all five spots in the Top 5 Most Polluted Cities when it comes to year-round particle pollution in the U.S., according to the American Lung Association.
The American Lung Association released its annual State of the Air report on Wednesday, revealing almost half of all Americans – 156 million people – are breathing unhealthy levels of air pollution.
According to air quality data, an additional 25 million more Americans are under the unhealthy category compared to last year’s report.
Pollution is very fine particulate matter that is harmful to breathe; it can be in the form of dust, dirt or smoke. Anything from wood-burning heaters, cars, agriculture, coal and natural gas power plants creates pollution.
The release of the list was particularly bad news for California: Four out of the Top 5 cities on the list of most year-round particle pollution are in the state.
1. Bakersfield-Delano, CA
2. Visalia, CA
3. Fresno-Hanford-Cocoran, CA
4. Eugene-Springfield, OR
5. Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA
The main reason for this is the location of these cities, along with agriculture.
The Top 3 cities, Bakersfield, Visalia, and Fresno, are all lined up across California’s Central Valley. There is a very common meteorological phenomenon that occurs there quite often, known as an inversion layer. The inversion layer creates a ‘lid’ or a ‘cap’ on the atmosphere, trapping all the pollutants underneath it.
These dust, dirt and smoke particles have nowhere to go and get thicker and thicker, creating extremely unhealthy air quality. With all the agriculture and wood burning that takes place in the Central Valley, a lot of it gets trapped at the surface leaving it there for people to breathe in.
So, next time there is a layer of haze in the sky over parts of California, a mask or less time outdoors could limit pollution exposure.
But, it’s official, California air quality is some of the worst in the country, according to the ALA.
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