Southern California's air pollution remains high

  Bakersfield had the worst level of fine-particle pollution in the nation last year — a toxic mix of soot,diesel exhaust, chemicals, metals and aerosols that contribute to heart attacks, strokes and lung disease, according to the American Lung Association’s annual State of the Air report.

The San Joaquin Valley city displaced Los Angeles, which fell to the third spot in the category of year-round particle pollution, behind second-place Pittsburgh-New Castle, Pa. Kern County, which includes Bakersfield, was ranked the worst county in the nation for average annual particulate pollution. The lung association report is based on data from local governments’ air monitoring stations and statistics gathered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

   Los Angeles-Long Beach retained its spot as the worst ozone-polluted metropolitan area, despite a slight improvement in its air in the past last year. San Bernardino ranked as the nation’s worst county for ozone pollution. Ozone, a powerful gas formed when sunlight reacts with vapors from vehicles, factories and power plants, irritates the lungs when inhaled. It causes wheezing and asthma attacks, and can shorten lives.

In Bakersfield and Kern County, heavy-duty trucks  and farm equipment are the biggest sources of fine particulate pollution. But wood burning is also a large  contributor to wintertime levels. “The problem in the San Joaquin Valley is generated both from the emissions themselves and the meteorology of the valley,” said Bonnie Holmes-Gen, a lung association official. “Inversion layers and stagnant weather holds pollutants close to communities, sometimes for days at a time.”

--Margot Roosevelt

Comments

[Atheistno1]

Times are great when one can go to a paper & get the latest pollution results & know that there is a overwhelming interest in the direction to resolve the problems causing it. The first step is identifying the problem & the second steps will fall into place. Good story Margo Roosevelt.

[Areli R.]

The fact that there is a high amount of pollution in the area of Los Angeles specially in the area of Bakersfield surprises numerous people because when you pass by along the freeway people are only able to enjoy the scenery. I personally had no idea that Bakersfield would have a high amount of pollution and I think that can affect numerous people, but at the same time the state California and the nation are doing what ever we can to help reduce it. I hope that the amount of pollution overtime decreases with the new technologies that are available and with the help of the people because it is time that we begin to take care of the earth that we all live in.

[Ana Gil]

I would have never thought that there was so much pollution in Bakersfield, probably because it is obvious in the LA and Long Beach area. At least the positive thing is that the LA and Long Beach's air pollution has gone down. People are trying to become more environmentally conscious and it will help our health, even if the change is small at least it is for the better