Approximately 166 million Americans live in areas with unhealthy air, putting them at higher risk for certain health problems, according to the American Lung Association's 2016 State of the Air Report. Interestingly, many of these areas are located in California.
Although the report revealed an overall improvement from 2012 to 2014 in the country's air quality, more than half (52.1 percent) of Americans live in counties that have unhealthful levels of either ozone or particle pollution.
For instance, the five areas with the highest levels of year-round air pollutants are:
1. Bakersfield, Calif.
2. Visalia-Porterville-Hanford, Calif.
3. Fresno-Madera, Calif.
4. Los Angeles-Long Beach, Calif.
5. El Centro, Calif.
"Everyone has the right to breathe healthy air, yet only four cities — Burlington-South Burlington, Vt.; Elmira-Corning, N.Y.; Honolulu; and Salinas, Calif. — qualified for the 'cleanest cities' list in the 'State of the Air' report," said ALA National President and CEO Harold P. Wimmer. "We simply must do more to protect the health of Americans."
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