Top 10 U.S. Cities for Ozone Pollution

For the average person in the United States, one of the largest overall health concerns is the level of ozone pollution that they inhale. According to the 2010 Air Report, which is released by the American Lung Association, almost 170 million Americans live in areas that have unhealthy levels of this pollutant.

According to the EPA, inhaling too much ozone pollution can have some significant negative side effects. Inhaling this pollutant can cause coughing, chest pains, throat irritation, and congestion. For those that already have lung problems, such as bronchitis or asthma, the pollution can be even more problematic. Over time, being in high areas of pollution could permanently scar a person’s lungs.

According to the American Lung Association’s Air Report, several cities have very high levels of pollution. The report listed the top ten cities ranked by pollution. To nobody’s surprise, the leader on this list was Los Angeles, CA, which is notorious for its poor pollution. LA was followed by several other California cities including Bakersfield at #2, Fresno at #4, Sacramento at #5, and San Diego at #8. Other large notable cities on this top ten list were Houston at #7 and Charlotte at #10. All of the cities on the list were in areas with warm overall weather.

If you do live in areas with high levels of ozone pollution, there are several things you can do to limit the amount you inhale. Primarily, you should avoid exercising outdoors during the warm afternoon hours. Pollution is lower at night and in the morning.