GOOD AIR, BAD AIR

More than 142 million Americans—75% of the nation’s population living in counties with ozone monitors—are breathing unhealthy amounts of ozone air pollution (smog), representing the third straight year in which the toxic pollutant reached fully half of the American public, according to the American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2002 report. Of those living in the 678 counties monitoring ozone, the vast majority of the most vulnerable lived in the nearly 400 counties receiving an “F,” including nearly three-quarters of the seniors and more than 70% of children who had an asthma attack in the last year. The findings are compounded by the reality that, due to a series of legal and management delays, states are relying on weak federal clean air standards in place since 1979.

Ozone is a highly reactive form of oxygen, an intensely irritating gas that results primarily from the action of sunlight on hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides emitted in fuel combustion. Ozone levels typically rise between May and October when higher temperatures and increased amounts of sunlight combine with stagnant atmospheric conditions that are associated with smog episodes.

Relatively low ozone levels can affect even healthy people’s ability to breathe, leading to shortness of breath, chest pain when inhaling deeply, wheezing and coughing. Long-term exposure can result in reduced breathing ability and increases the risk of respiratory disease later in life. Children, the elderly, and individuals with chronic lung disease, such as asthma, are at greatest risk of breathing problems from ozone exposure.

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If you're considering relocation and clean air is of prime importance, the following Red Dot metropolitan areas aren't where you want to move. Green Dot areas are the top 11 cleanest metro areas for ozone pollution (listed alphabetically).

TOP SMOGGY AND CLEAN METRO AREAS


Source: American Lung Association

2002 Rank	Metro Areas With Worst Ozone Air Pollution Scoring an "F" (and that's not for "fun"!)	2001 Rank
1	Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA	1
2	Bakersfield, CA	2
3	Fresno, CA	3
4	Visilia-Tulare-Porterville, CA	4
5	Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX	5
6	Atlanta, GA	6
7	Merced, CA	13
8	Knoxville, TN	9
9	Charlotte-Gastonia-RockHill, NC-SC	8
10	Sacramento-Yolo, CA	12
11	Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV	7
12	Phoenix-Mesa, AZ	17
13	Raleigh-Durhan-Chapel Hill, NC	10
14	Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City, PA-NJ-DE-MD	10
15	San Diego, CA	17
16	Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX	14
17	Baton Rouge, LA	24
18	Nashville, TN	16
19	Memphis, TN-AR-MS	22
20	New York, Northern New Jersey, Long Island, CT-NJ-NY	15
21	Birmingham, AL	N/A
22	Redding, CA	21
23	Greensboro-winiston-Salem-High Point, NC	25
24	Macon, GA	N/A
25	Chattanooga, TN-GA	25

2002 Rank	Counties With Worst Ozone Air Pollution	2001 Rank	2000 Rank
1	Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA	1	1
2	Bakersfield, CA	3	3
3	Fresno, CA	4	4
4	Visilia-Tulare-Porterville, CA	2	2
5	Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX	5	6
6	Atlanta, GA	6	8
7	Merced, CA	7	13
8	Knoxville, TN	8	5
9	Charlotte-Gastonia-RockHill, NC-SC	23	16
10	Sacramento-Yolo, CA	12	19
11	Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV	21	9
12	Phoenix-Mesa, AZ	11	12
13	Raleigh-Durhan-Chapel Hill, NC	9	14
14	Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City, PA-NJ-DE-MD	18	17
15	San Diego, CA	10	11
16	Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX	13	25
17	Baton Rouge, LA	27	29
18	Nashville, TN	19	N/A
19	Memphis, TN-AR-MS	15	18
20	New York, Northern New Jersey, Long Island, CT-NJ-NY	33	20
21	Birmingham, AL	14	7
22	Redding, CA	19	N/A
23	Greensboro-winiston-Salem-High Point, NC	N/A	N/A
24	Macon, GA	31	26
25	Chattanooga, TN-GA	16	24

Metro Areas with the Least Ozone Pollution
Bellingham, WA	Laredo, TX
Colorado Springs, CO	Lincoln, NE
Duluth-Superio, MN-WI	McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
Fargo-Moorhead, ND Flagstaff, AZ-UT	Salinas, CA Spokane, WA
Honolulu, HI