Most Polluted Cities

Top 10 Polluted Cities

by Laura Colarusso
Top Ten Most Polluted Cities

Oxygen is one of the building blocks of life, so the air we breathe needs to be clean. Unfortunately, nearly half of Americans live in areas that have unhealthy amounts of smog or particle pollution. The main culprits: traffic, coal-fired power plants and industry emissions. To protect yourself it's important to limit the time you spend outdoors during bad pollution days and to educate yourself. So, here's a list of the 10 worst cities for annual particle pollution levels in ascending order.

10. St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is known as the Gateway to the West. But, it's still near many of the east coast's coal-fired power plants, said Janice Nolen, assistant vice president for national policy and advocacy at the American Lung Association. These power plants, which create electricity through burning coal, spew microscopic particles that bypass the body's defense mechanisms, Nolen said. These toxic bits -- which are typically one-seventh to one-thirtieth the diameter of a single human hair -- can get lodged in the lungs or even be passed like oxygen molecules into the blood stream.

9. Indianapolis, Indiana

Like St. Louis, Indianapolis makes the list because of its proximity to coal-fired power plants, according to Nolen. Indiana's capital city, however, has other problems including a large manufacturing base that emits large amounts of soot into the atmosphere. Traffic in and around the city can also be heavy as three major roads -- Rt. 65, Rt. 70 and Rt. 74 -- all run through Indianapolis. Thanks to these factors, Indianapolis received a "D" from the American Lung Association in the smog category and outright fails when it comes to particle pollution.

8. Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati is not only home to the Reds and the Bengals. The city that's got its own kind of chili also has an air pollution problem. Cincinnati, which is in southern Ohio just a stone's throw away from Kentucky, also gets failing marks from the ALA. The problem? Cincinnati is near many of the coal-fired power plants that churn out electricity for the east coast -- and tons of particulate matter each year. And, the fact that the city is near three big highways -- Rt. 71, Rt. 74 and Rt. 75 -- means there's plenty of traffic rolling through Cincinnati.

7. Visalia, California

Visalia has the distinction of being one of the most abundant agricultural regions of the United States. Everything from grapes to citrus fruit to cattle is raised in the open fields of Visalia, which is located in the central region of California. But, with the agriculture, comes diesel tractors and farm equipment to help grow and reap crops. Large trucks are needed to transport the harvest to grocery stores across the country. Burning diesel -- a petroleum-based product -- is one of the major sources of particle pollution, according to Nolen.

6. Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland may "rock" according to television star Drew Carey, but the city located on Lake Erie has poor air quality. The city has a heavy manufacturing base, which contributes to particle pollution. And, it's situated near two major trucking highways -- Rt. 80 and Rt. 90 -- that are used to transport goods between the eastern and western United States. In fact, for these reasons, the American Lung Association gives Cleveland an "F" for particle pollution.


5. Detroit, Michigan

Like Cleveland, Detroit is one of the country's major manufacturing centers. The city, one of the largest in the state, is synonymous with the car industry because companies like General Motors, Ford and Chrysler are headquartered there. Like many of the other cities on this list, Detroit gets a failing grade and ties with Birmingham, Ala., to be fourth worst city in the nation for particle pollution. The city also struggles with smog pollution, according to the ALA.

4. Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham's air quality problems stem from industry, according to Nolen, the official from the American Lung Association. Steel and coal-fired power plants emit enough soot to choke the city into a tie with Detroit for the fourth spot on the list, she added. The Birmingham area has thousands of people at-risk for pollution-related disease. Out of the roughly 170,000 residents, roughly 13,000 have asthma. Another 5,000 have chronic bronchitis, 2,000 have emphysema and 36,000 have cardiovascular disease, according to data compiled by the association.

3. Bakersfield, Calif.

Like Visalia, it's no surprise that Bakersfield made the list. Its geographical location in California combined with the traffic in the area makes it a prime candidate for air quality problems, according to the American Lung Association. "Bakersfield is part of the Central Valley, [which] has a lot of problems with air pollution," Nolen said. In addition to the traffic, Bakersfield also has a lot of agriculture, which means diesel-run tractors and farm equipment to grow and transport crops, Nolen added.

2. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is one of the largest cities in Pennsylvania and is known for its industry and manufacturing. The city is also near one of the biggest causes of particle pollution on the East Coast, coal-fired power plants. In addition to being a manufacturing center and its location near power plants, Pittsburgh is also near several major highways that serve as trucking routes. Thanks to this, the city earns failing marks for both particle and ozone pollution. All of these problems come together to earn Pittsburgh the second spot on the list.