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Calif. Town Is Nation's Smoggiest

Posted Aug 10, 07 3:13 PM CDT in US,  Science & Health,  Glossies 

(Newser) – Arvin, Calif., proves that you don’t need factories or freeways to have America’s worst air pollution. The agricultural town’s mountain locale collects pollution, the AP reports, giving the air a toxic smell and raising health concerns. The EPA uses the ozone level to gauge smog across the country, and from 2004 to 2006, Arvin (pop. 15,000) brought up the rear.

Ozone levels exceeded EPA recommendations an average of 73 days per year in that time. Asthma and other respiratory complaints are common. But change won't be quick: San Joaquin Valley officials say they can't meet federal air-quality standards by a 2012 deadline, leaving residents, in the words of one local pol, "going to the beach so I can breathe."

Source Associated Press

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Ana Maria Corona holds her asthma medication on Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2007 in Arvin, Calif. Arvin is home to the nation's worst air pollution. Arvin's level of ozone, the primary component in smog, exceeded...   (Associated Press)
Ana Maria Corona is shown at her home holding her asthma inhalers as Ignacio Ramirez and her daughter Karina Corona look on Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2007 in Arvin, Calif. Arvin is home to the nation's worst air...   (Associated Press)
Smog lingers over southern California in their continuous battle with air pollution.   (Getty Images)
Smog hangs thick over this southern California power plant.   (Shutterstock.com)
Marco Lopez jogs along train tracks Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2007 in Arvin, Calif. Arvin is home to the nation's worst air pollution. Arvin's level of ozone, the primary component in smog, exceeded the national...   (Associated Press)
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