Lung report gives Bakersfield failing grades for air quality, again

Robert Price
·1 min read
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BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The American Lung Association’s 2024 State of the Air report is out, and as usual, Bakersfield comes in right where no city wants to be — at or near the top of every meaningfully negative air quality ranking.

Progress has been made nationwide over the past year, but data suggests nearly four out of 10 Americans still live in places with unhealthy air — and Kern County has more than its share.

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Bakersfield is No. 1 in short-term particle pollution, No. 1 in year-round particle pollution and  number three in ozone. Only LA — No. 1 in ozone, and Visalia, No. 2 in short-term and year-round particle pollution, come close.

According to the lung association’s 25th report, more than 131 million Americans live in places with failing grades — that’s 11.7 million more people than the 2023 report.

Every county in Southern California, including Kern, got an F in ozone. The impacts are consequential. Air pollution can affect lung development and is implicated in cases of emphysema, asthma, and other respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Bakersfield ranks high in asthma cases, as well as heart disease, also linked to air pollution.

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