U.S. air pollution: less smog, but more soot in East - Reuters

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

U.S. air pollution: less smog, but more soot in East

By Deborah Zabarenko, Environment Correspondent
2 hours, 2 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is less smoggy
than it used to be, but dangerous soot particles are rising
in the densely populated eastern part of the country, the
American Lung Association reported on Tuesday.

In its annual State of the Air report, the group applauded
reductions in smog since its peak in 2002, and blamed the
rise in soot -- also called particle pollution -- on coal-
fired power plants in the East.

-snip-

Major sources of soot also include emissions from diesel
vehicles including school buses, barges, trucks, tugboats
and construction equipment, she said.

Even as the national level of ozone declined, a key
component of smog, 99 million people in the United States
live in counties with failing grades for ozone, according
to the report.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070501/us_nm/usa_air_dc

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Source: Associated Press

Southern California deemed most polluted

NOAKI SCHWARTZ, Associated Press Writer
59 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles can continue being the butt
of smog jokes now that it has once again topped the
American Lung Association's bad air list of most polluted
cities in America.

The association found that the Los Angeles-Long Beach-
Riverside metropolitan area had the worst air based on
2003 through 2005 figures.

The Pittsburgh area was ranked as the nation's second
most polluted metropolitan area followed by Bakersfield,
Calif., Birmingham, Ala., Detroit and Cleveland. Visalia,
Calif., Cincinnati, Indianapolis and St. Louis rounded
out the top 10.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070501/ap_on_sc/polluted_cities

[sandnsea]

1. Interesting

Wondering...

I lived in the San Juaquin Valley, you can see the brown air as you head down in from the mountains. I've never seen that in St. Louis, or noticed the air being bad at all. Is there some pocket that I missed??

What's up with Pittsburgh, I thought they were getting it together, pollution-wise.

And...Visalia??? :shrug: