How polluted is your air? American Lung Association report identifies the most polluted places in the U.S.

The American Lung Association's newly released "State of the Air 2009" report finds that six out of 10 Americans live in areas where air pollution levels endanger human life.

The 10th edition of the report ranks cities and counties affected by the three most common types of pollution: ozone, annual particle pollution, and 24-hour particle pollution. Three California cities—Los Angeles, Bakersfield, and Fresno—are in the top 10 list in all three categories. Cities with the cleanest skies include Cheyenne, Wyoming; Fargo, North Dakota; and Honolulu. (The map shows the most polluted U.S. cities by year-round particle pollution.)

"This should be a wake-up call. We know that air pollution is a major threat to human health," said Stephen J. Nolan, national board chairman of the American Lung Association. "When 60 percent of Americans are left breathing air [that's] dirty enough to send people to the emergency room, to shape how kids' lungs develop, and to kill, air pollution remains a serious problem."

While power plants, diesel engines, and ocean-going vessels are among the biggest sources of air pollution, house paint is also a source. "By far, people painting their houses is the largest source category of emissions under our regulatory jurisdiction," Naveen Berry, planning and rules manager at California's South Coast Air Quality Management District, said in our March 2009 report on interior paint, which covered levels of volatile organic compounds in finishes.

To curb pollution, the ALA recommends you drive less, lobby schools to use cleaner buses, and not burn wood and trash.—Daniel DiClerico | e-mail | Twitter

Essential information: Find out how to protect yourself from air pollution, and get the facts on air purifiers.

Comments

[Norm Eddy]

Nice story but I can't magnify map to see where the cities are can we get that