It's dirty in California

Los Angeles, www.forbes.com

I believe a congratulations is in order for Bakersfield who knocked Los Angeles out of the #1 spot for being the dirtiest city in the United States. With the addition of hybrid tugboats now being used in Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors, soon enough L.A. might further lower themselves on the list! Either way, it's a good thing that Proposition 23--the measure which would have suspended the environmental regulations set by AB 32 in California--didn't pass because the State of the Air 2010 reports that California already has seven out of ten of the dirtiest cities in the United States.

Following Bakersfield and L.A. is Fresno, Visalia-Porterville, Hanford-Corcoran, skipping to #8 is Modesto, and the state capital Sacramento at #9. Phoenix-Mesa, AZ is in 6th place, Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, AL at #7, and Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA in last place. The American Lung Association came to their conclusion by evaluating ozone and particle pollution caused by vehicle emissions, industrial & agricultural pollution, wildfires, and other environmental factors. They conclude that the 20 million people who live in these regions are more likely to suffer from asthma, bronchitis, and more severe diseases such as lung cancer. If only holding your breath was a solution!


http://www.thisdishisvegetarian.com/2010/11/1127seven-out-of-ten-dirtiest-cities.html
http://www.forbes.com/2010/11/15/americas-dirtiest-cities-business-energy-dirty-cities_slide.html
http://www.lungusa.org/about-us/publications/