The 10 Most Polluted Cities in America!

By Glenford Robinson

Air pollution is the process by which unhealthy chemicals or biological materials are introduced into the atmosphere. The atmosphere is a gaseous system that has the necessary ingredients to sustain life. Ozone depletion as a result of air pollution has long been recognized as a threat to the existence of life on earth.

The atmosphere in specific terms is a layer of gases surrounding Mother Earth. These gases are held in place as a result of Earth's gravity. The atmosphere is like an umbrella protecting life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

The atmosphere is responsible for warming the surface of the Earth by retaining heat through the greenhouse effect, and preventing temperatures from becoming too hot or too cold during day and night. The gas consistency of dry air in regards to volume is 78% nitrogen, 21%, oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.038% carbon dioxide, and a small amount of other gases. Air also consists of water vapor, about 1%. With this said, there are cities in America where pollution is a big problem. We will discuss them later.

Air pollution can have a detrimental effect on health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 2.4 million people die each year from causes directly associated with air pollution. One point five million of these deaths are caused by indoor air pollution. Epidemiological studies revealed that well over 500,000 Americans die each year from cardiopulmonary disease linked to breathing fine particles found in air pollution (American Chemical Society).

A study by scientists at the University of Birmingham has shown strong correlations between pneumonia related deaths and air pollution from motor vehicles. Therefore, it is a good idea to stay as far away from roads and motor vehicles as possible when jogging.

Knowing which cities have the best and worst pollution is paramount, especially if one suffers from respiratory ailments. According to the 2010 American Lung Association's State of the Air Report, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, and Bakersfield, city ranks the lowest on the list of cleanest cities to live, in regards to air pollution. The 2010 report ranks cities affected most by three type of pollution: short-term particle pollution, year-round particle pollution, ozone pollution.

The 2010 Lists:

The 10 Most Polluted American Cities by Short-Term Particle Pollution:

1) Pittsburgh, Pa.
2) Fresno/Madera, Calif.
3) Bakersfield, Calif.
4) Los Angeles, Calif.
5) Birmingham, Ala.
6) Salt Lake City, Utah
7) Sacramento, Calif.
8) Logan, Utah
9) Detroit, Mich.
10) Chicago, IL.

The 10 Most Polluted American Cities by Year-Round Particle Pollution:

1) Bakersfield, Calif.
2) Pittsburgh, Pa.
3) Visalia/Porterville, Calif.
4) Birmingham, Ala.
5) Visalia/Porterville, Calif.
6) Hanford/Corcoran, Calif.
7) Cincinnati, Ohio
8) Fresno/Madera, Calif.
9) Detroit, Mich.
10) Cleveland, Ohio

The 10 Most Polluted American Cities by Ozone:

1) Los Angeles/Long Beach/Riverside, Calif.
2) Bakersfield, Calif.
3) Visalia/Porterville, Calif.
4) Fresno/Madera, Calif.
5) Houston, Texas
6) Sacramento, Calif.
7) Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
8) Charlotte, NC.
9) Phoenix, AZ.
10) El Centro, Calif.

In order to see the rank of your city, please visit the American Lung Association website at stateoftheair.org.

Glenford S Robinson, BS, CLS (ASCP), is a Clinical Laboratory Scientist, Journalist (American Chronicle), and Staff Writer for Mstardom.com, a social networking website and articles directory providing its members and visitors with up-to-the-minute news and entertainment and the opportunity to submit articles free.

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