The Los Angeles-Long Beach area ranked as the nation’s smoggiest region in a report released Wednesday by the American Lung Association, which also faulted the region for short-term and year-round particle pollution.
The association’s annual State of the Air report overall found that nearly half of people in the United States breathe unhealthy levels of air pollution, with 156 million people living in regions that received “F” grades for either smog or particle pollution.
Los Angeles-Long Beach was found to have the worst ozone, or smog, pollution in the country. Five areas of California were listed among the top 10 most polluted areas, with Visalia placing second, Bakersfield-Delano third, Fresno-Hanford-Corcoran fifth and San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad eighth…