May 01, 2008

L.A. not the sootiest!

Los Angeles has been dethroned as the sootiest city in America, according to the American Lung Association, topped by Pittsburgh as the urban area with the most particle pollution in the area.

Overall, LA still ranks as the most polluted city in the country.

The AP has the story.

Pittsburgh overtook Los Angeles in the category that measures short-term particle pollution or soot. Los Angeles, the country's longtime soot and smog leader, has enacted aggressive measures to tackle sources of pollution, resulting in a substantial drop in particle pollution levels, said Janice Nolen, the Association's Assistant Vice President of National Policy and Advocacy.

"It's not that Pittsburgh has gotten worse, it's that Los Angeles has gotten better," Nolen said. "If the trend continues, Pittsburgh will top two lists and LA will only be leading the nation in ozone."

Other California cities on the polluted list include Bakersfield, Fresno, Visalia-Porterfield and Hanford-Corcoran.

Posted by Shane Goldmacher on May 1, 2008 10:50 AM