Report shows progress in battle for air quality

Progress is being made in the battle to clean up the air we breathe, according to the American Lung Association.

Its annual report, entitled State of the Air 2011, finds that the majority of American cities most polluted by ozone or year-round particle pollution have improved, showing progress in the clean-up of toxics under the Clean Air Act.

However, it also found that just over half the nation lives in areas with levels of ozone and/or particle pollution that is often dangerous to breathe.

The report grades cities and counties based on an Air Quality Index developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency meant to alert the public to daily unhealthy air conditions. It finds that Honolulu, Hawaii, and Santa Fe-Espanola, New Mexico, are the cleanest cities and the only two in the nation that were among the cleanest for year-round particle pollution while having no days when ozone and particle pollution levels reached unhealthy levels.

By contrast, 10 counties received an “F” for year-round particle pollution with Bakersfield, California, topping the list for cities most polluted by both short-term and annual particle pollution.

The lists were as follows:

Top 10 Most Ozone-Polluted Cities