Top 10 polluted cities in the U.S. for 2008

January 1, 6:18 PMProgressive Politics ExaminerKaren Harper

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The Weather Channel has broken the list of most polluted U.S. cities in 2008 into two categories.  First are the top ten cities most polluted by particle pollution.  The second group is by ozone pollution. 

Particle pollution consists of particulate matter.  This includes particles of dust, dirt, smoke, liquid, soot, etc.  They are caused by a myriad of things including exhaust from automobiles, dust from industrial processes, wood burning and more.  People with COPD or other existing lung diseases as well as heart diseases suffer most from particulate matter pollution.  

Ozone pollution is responsible for urban smog.  It occurs when exhaust from cars, power plants, refineries, and other emitted chemicals are projected into the atmosphere close to the earth and react chemically to sunlight.  Some cities are fighting ozone.  Read what Dallas/Ft. Worth is doing to fight the polluted ozone problem.

Even short term exposure to ozone pollution can cause coughing, wheezing and other lung problems.  Repeated exposure can cause inflammation of the airways and is permanent. 

Top 10 U.S. Cities Most Polluted by Year-Round Particle Pollution (The Weather Channel):

1) Los Angeles/Long Beach/Riverside, Calif.
2) Pittsburgh, Pa.
3) Bakersfield, Calif.
4) Birmingham, Ala.
5) Visalia/Porterville, Calif.
6) Atlanta, Ga.
7) Cincinnati, Ohio
8) Fresno/Madera, Calif.
9) Hanford/Corcoran, Calif.
10) Detroit, Mich.

Top 10 U.S. Cities Most Polluted by Ozone:

1) Los Angeles/Long Beach/Riverside, Calif.
2) Bakersfield, Calif.
3) Visalia/Porterville, Calif.
4) Houston, Texas
5) Fresno/Madera, Calif.
6) Sacramento, Calif.
7) Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
8) New York, N.Y./Newark, N.J.
9) Baltimore, Md./Washington, D.C./Northern Virginia
10) Baton Rouge, La.

Here is an example of what smog looks like.  These pictures were taken in Beijing in 2005.  The first photograph shows the city after 2 days of rain.  The second photograph shows a more typical smog filled city scape.  Pictures taken by Bobak Ha'Eri.