More than 125 million Americans live in counties with unhealthy levels of air pollution, according to the American Lung Association's 2017 "State of the Air" report.
The 25 most dangerously polluted cities in the US
More than 125 million Americans live in counties with unhealthy levels of air pollution, according to the 2017 "State of the Air" report, released April 19.
Pollution leads to various kinds of nasty health outcomes, including asthma, lung cancer, and shortened lifespans.
The report, released April 19, rounds up air quality data from 2013, 2014, and 2015 in the United States. (Because air quality data is plentiful and complicated, the annual ALA reports usually look two years into the past.)
The report focuses on two key kinds of pollution: particles and ozone.
Particles include everything from dust kicked up during a drought to tiny particles floating in the air from forest fires or fossil fuels. Ozone, or smog, develops in the upper atmosphere when emissions from tailpipes and smokestacks cook in the sun's heat.
25. Erie, Pennsylvania
22 (tied). New York, New York
22 (tied). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
22 (tied). Birmingham, Alabama
20 (tied). Cincinnati, Ohio
20 (tied). Lancaster, Pennsylvania
18 (tied). Altoona, Pennsylvania
18 (tied). Detroit, Michigan
17. Fairbanks, Alaska
16. Houston, Texas
13 (tied). Johnstown, Pennsylvania
13 (tied). Louisville, Kentucky
13 (tied). Indianapolis, Indiana
11 (tied). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
11 (tied). Medford, Oregon
10. San Luis Obispo, California
9. Cleveland, Ohio
8. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
7. El Centro, California
6. Modesto, California
5. Los Angeles, California
4. San Francisco, California
3. Fresno, California
2. Bakersfield, California
1. Visalia, California
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