LOS ANGELES — Despite tremendous progress in reducing air pollution over the last several decades, 98% of Californians live in communities with unhealthy levels of smog or fine particles, according to a new report released by the American Lung Association.
Around 38.5 million California residents live in a county that received a failing grade in the Lung Association’s annual “State of the Air” report, which has served as a national scorecard for the two major air pollutants since 2000.
Although Southern California has witnessed fewer days with unhealthy levels of ozone in recent years, Greater Los Angeles remains the smoggiest metropolitan area in the nation, an infamous title the region has held in every report but one over the last 24 years. Meanwhile, the Central Valley cities of Bakersfield and Visalia tied for the country’s worst year-round levels of fine particle pollution.
