These US cities have the ‘most polluted' air in the country, says new study
CLEVELAND (WJW/NEXSTAR) — The American Lung Association has released its annual 'State of the Air' report, and several major cities are among the worst in the nation for year-round particle pollution, also known as 'soot.'
Each year for the past 26 years, the American Lung Association has analyzed data from official air quality monitors to compile the report and track unhealthy levels of ozone air pollution (smog) and particle pollution (soot). To determine particle pollution, PM2.5 (represented as µg/m3) is used, which is defined as fine particulate matter composed of particles 2.5 microns or smaller in diameter.
The report then ranks the most polluted and cleanest U.S. cities based on an area's number of unhealthy air days and the city's particulate pollution.
This year's report looked at a three-year period (2021-2023) and found Bakersfield-Delano in California to be the worst in the country for year-round particle pollution with 16.2 µg/m3. According to the report, Bakersfield-Delano was followed pretty closely by two other California cities for having the most polluted air, with Visalia and Fresno-Hanford-Corcoran ranking second and third.
New fast food chain coming to NE Ohio
The city with the 'most dramatic' shift in the country was Cleveland, which finished 9th despite being ranked 54th just a year ago.
Three cities that are on the list for the first time include Kalamazoo, Michigan, and two Texas cities (Brownsville and Texarkana).
Here's the American Lung Association's full list of the 25 cities with the most year-round particle pollution:
Bakersfield-Delano, CA – 16.2 µg/m3
Visalia, CA – 15.7 µg/m3
Fresno-Hanford-Corcoran, CA – 14.8 µg/m3
Eugene-Springfield, OR – 14.4 µg/m3
Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA – 13.1 µg/m3
Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI – 13 µg/m3
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA – 13 µg/m3
Houston-Pasadena, TX – 12.5 µg/m3
Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH – 12.3 µg/m3
Fairbanks-College, AK – 12.1 µg/m3
Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN – 11.9 µg/m3
Pittsburgh-Weirton-Steubenville, PA-OH-WV – 11.6 µg/m3
Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI – 11.3 µg/m3
Cincinnati-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN – 11.2 µg/m3
Sacramento-Roseville, CA – 11.2 µg/m3
Brownsville-Harlingen-Raymondville, TX – 10.9 µg/m3
Medford-Grants Pass, OR – 10.5 µg/m3
Missoula, MT – 10.5 µg/m3
St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL – 10.5 µg/m3
Kalamazoo-Battle Creek-Portage, MI – 10.4 µg/m3
Phoenix-Mesa, AZ – 10.4 µg/m3
Texarkana, TX-AR – 10.3 µg/m3
El Centro, CA – 10.2 µg/m3
Yakima, WA – 10.2 µg/m3
Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene, WA-ID – 10.1 µg/m3
On the other end of the spectrum, Casper, Wyoming, finished as the U.S. city with the cleanest air, followed closely by two Hawaii cities (Honolulu and Kahului-Wailuku).
You can see the full 'State of the Air' report here.
According to the Lung Association, ozone and particle pollution are the most widespread pollutants and among the 'most dangerous.' The recent report found that nearly half of the U.S. population (46%) lives in an area that received a failing grade for at least one measure of air pollution.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
More cucumber products recalled as salmonella outbreak expands
(NEXSTAR) — Additional cucumber products have been recalled over concerns of potential salmonella contamination as a multistate outbreak expands. On Wednesday, Maryland-based TGD Cuts, LLC, issued a voluntary recall of sliced cucumber trays and salsa tubs over concerns that the cucumbers may be from Bedner Growers Inc. Cucumbers from the Florida-based grower have been linked to 45 cases of salmonella across 18 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unlike previous recalls, Wednesday's may not impact the items in your refrigerator. The recalled products, listed below, were distributed to retail and foodservice locations in Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, the Food and Drug Administration notice reads. The salsas and trays are beyond their shelf dates, which ranged from May 20 to May 28, 2025. According to officials, no illnesses have been reported in connection with these items. Some of the salsa was sold under the brand name of Jean's Classy. If you have any of the items listed above, you are advised to discard them immediately or return them to the store where you purchased them for a full refund. This is the latest recall related to potentially contaminated cucumbers. Last week, fresh cucumber salads and vegetable trays sold at Kroger and its affiliated stores in nine states were recalled. Others impacted products include whole cucumbers; made-to-order subs, wraps, and paninis; fresh cut cucumbers sold at select Walmart stores in Texas; veggie and sushi products sold at Kroger, Roundy's, and Weis Market stores in 16 states; salads and salsa; and salads sold to foodservice distributors and supermarkets in eight states. It's caused by the salmonella bacteria, which the CDC estimates cause 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the U.S. yearly. Salmonella infections are commonly associated with diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps, according to the CDC. Symptoms can begin between six hours and six days after you've ingested the bacteria. Most people are able to recover without receiving treatment within four to seven days. Illnesses may be more severe for young children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. Some may require medical treatment or hospitalization, the CDC explains. Infections can only be diagnosed with a laboratory test of a person's stool, body tissue, or fluids. In an update last week, the CDC said 45 people across 18 states had been infected with the strain of salmonella linked to contaminated cucumbers. That's up from 26 people across 15 states reported the week prior. Eight people, who all departed from the same locations in Florida on cruises, reported becoming sick within a week of their trip. While three traveled on the same ship, the CDC says sick people were aboard six different ships total. Those ships departed between March 30 and April 12, and illnesses were first reported on April 2. Sixteen people have required hospitalization after becoming ill, but no deaths have been reported. Patients range in age from 2 to 84 years old. Those who got sick primarily live in Georgia and Florida, comprising seven and six of the confirmed cases, respectively. CDC data shows four residents from Illinois and Ohio also fell ill, as did three people each from New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Michigan and South Carolina each had two cases, while Alabama, California, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Tennessee have all reported a single case. The CDC notes the true number of sick people connected to this outbreak may be higher, as some people are able to recover from a salmonella infection without seeking medical care. Additionally, it can take three to four weeks to determine that someone who is sick is connected to the outbreak.
The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
Drinking coffee daily tied to healthy aging among women, study finds
Related video: Could the cost of coffee rise due to tariffs? (NEXSTAR) – A study presented at the American Society for Nutrition Monday suggests that an eye-opening cup of java may also have long-term health benefits for women. 'Our study has several key strengths,' said Sara Mahdavi, lead researcher and an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto, in a press release. 'In addition to the large sample size and 30 years of follow-up, we assessed several different aspects of longevity and healthy aging as well as very comprehensive information on nutritional and lifestyle habits that were collected every four years after the initiation of the study.' The study followed 47,513 women using dietary and health data from the Nurses' Health Study dating back to 1984. While not yet peer-reviewed or published, the supporting data is extensive, experts say, and its conclusion lines up with several other studies that have found coffee to have beneficial effects. 'The data is quite consistent that coffee consumption is actually beneficial,' a Tufts University professor not affiliated with the study told The New York Times. The study looked at the frequency with which the participants drank coffee, tea, cola or decaffeinated coffee, while accounting for other factors that could influence health aging, such as body weight, smoking, alcohol use, physical activity, education level and protein consumption. Every four years, researchers collected follow-up information on the participants' nutritional and lifestyle habits, including regular caffeine consumption. After three decades, there were 3,706 women who met the definition of a health ager: 'living to age 70 or older, being free from 11 major chronic diseases, maintaining physical function, having good mental health, exhibiting no cognitive impairment and showing no memory complaints.' In mid-life, those same woman consumed, on average, 315 mg of caffeine per day, or about one and a half large cups of coffee. The vast majority of that caffeine intake came from regular coffee, according to the study. 'For women in the healthy agers group, each extra cup of coffee per day was tied to a 2% to 5% higher chance of doing well later in life, up to five small cups per day, or about 2.5 cups according to today's measures,' the news release stated. Alternatively, researchers found no link between healthy aging and decaffeinated coffee or tea. 'The health benefits apppeared specific to coffee, rather than caffeine more broadly,' Mahdavi told Fox News Digital. 'We didn't see the same associations with decaf coffee, tea or caffeinated soda, suggesting that coffee's unique combination of bioactive compounds may play a key role.' Caffeinated soda, the study found, lowered participants' chances of healthy aging by 20 percent to 26 percent. 'These results, while preliminary, suggest that small, consistent habits can shape long-term health,' said Mahdavi. 'Moderate coffee intake may offer some protective benefits when combined with other healthy behaviors such as regular exercise, a healthy diet and avoiding smoking. While this study adds to prior evidence suggesting coffee intake may be linked with healthy aging, the benefits from coffee are relatively modest compared to the impact of overall healthy lifestyle habits and warrant further investigation.' Despite the generous sample size, Mahdavi noted that the study mostly examined the health and habits of white, educated female health professionals. 'Further work is needed to confirm generalizability to broader populations,' she told Fox News Digital, adding that, while the results are positive for coffee drinkers, the study doesn't show a direct causal relationship between the beverage and long-term health. In other words, there's no guarantee that starting a coffee habit will lead to a healthier aging process, but the study suggests that coffee drinkers don't necessarily need to cut back on the beverage in an attempt to maintain their health as they get older, David Kao, professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical School told CNN. For those people who aren't already coffee drinkers, or abstain from caffeine, Mahdavi said her team does not recommend taking up the habit. People with medical concerns including high blood pressure, sleep issues or anxiety, should speak with a healthcare provider before drinking coffee, as it may not be advisable.
Indianapolis Star
16 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
'Unhealthy' air quality for these states after Canadian wildfires: See map
Smoke from Canadian wildfires is impacting multiple U.S. states, even as far south as Florida. As over 203 active fires rage in Canada as of June 4, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center, wind carrying smoke from the fires have engulfed states in the eastern and central U.S. Many states are reporting moderate air quality levels, but conditions are worse in areas closer to the U.S.-Canadian border. Multiple states in the mid-to-upper Midwest have been flagged as unhealthy for sensitive groups and unhealthy for the overall population, regardless of health conditions, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's AirNow tracker. Areas of Wisconsin and northern Michigan are reporting "unhealthy" air quality levels. To check your state's air quality, visit AirNow's website, and plug in your zip code, city or state. Here's what to know as of Wednesday, June 4. Parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan have air quality that is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups or unhealthy for all, according to AirNow. "Children, active adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should avoid outdoor exertion," according to the American Lung Association. "Everyone else should limit prolonged outdoor exertion." Areas in the following states have air that is considered "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups," which includes people with health conditions like asthma: Here, "children, active adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion," according to the American Lung Association. Wildfire smoke can irritate one's eyes, nose, and throat and cause: Particulate matter, a type of air pollutant that is made of small particles of solids or liquids that are suspended in the air, is one of the main components of wildfire smoke, as USA TODAY previously reported. According to Yale Medicine, the particles can be 10 micrometers, PM 10, or as small as 2.5 micrometers, PM 2.5, and the smaller one poses a lot of health risks. PM2.5 is so tiny it can easily pass people's usual defense mechanisms and dive deep into their lungs. Not only can it damage lung function, but it can also pass into the bloodstream and travel to other organs. The following is linked to exposure to the PM 2.5:
