Bay Area ranks in US cities with worst air quality

Hamza Fahmy
·2 min read
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(KRON) – Nearly four in ten Americans lived in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution in recent years, a new report ranking cities for their air quality by the American Lung Association found.

Within that list, six out of ten of the most polluted cities in America were in California.

Many might associate higher rates of air pollution with southern California, where cities like Los Angeles have consistently ranked as having some of the worst air quality in the country.

This year, however, southern California cities have actually faired better than their northern counterparts, with Los Angeles ranking sixth, according to the report.

From the list, the Bay Area, dubbed Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, ranked fifth for the highest rates of year-round particle pollution, the report said.

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Some might associate the jump in air pollution with the West Coast’s ties to yearly wildfires, which cause significant damage to an area’s ozone. Still, local sources like pollution from cars and traffic at freight sources are also heavy contributors.

Air pollution is currently affecting more than 9.4 million people in the Bay Area, including nearly 6.1 million people of color. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, people of color are more likely to experience the effects of air pollution, regardless of income.

Air pollution can cause premature death and other health emergencies like asthma attacks, heart attacks and strokes. Breathing particle pollution can also cause lung cancer.

Sacramento, Fresno, and Visalia are other California cities ranked among cities with the worst air quality, the report finds. Of that list, Fresno had the highest rates of year-round and short-term particle pollution in the nation.

  • #1 Bakersfield, CA

  • #2 Visalia, CA

  • #3 Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA

  • #4 Eugene-Springfield, OR

  • #5 San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA

  • #6 Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA

  • #7 Sacramento-Roseville, CA

  • #8 Medford-Grants Pass, OR

  • #9 Phoenix-Mesa, AZ

  • #10 Fairbanks, AK

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