Stark air pollution rank disputed
By Noaki Schwartz
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES, CA - The Canton-Massillon area has picked up another unwanted distinction, this time as two of the most-polluted cities in America.
The Stark County cities combined to land at No. 19 on the American Lung Association’s bad-air list of the nation’s most polluted cities. “I can’t believe they have us that high,” Canton Health Commissioner Robert Pattison said.
The association found that the Los Angeles metropolitan area, which includes Long Beach and Riverside counties, had the worst air, based on 2003 through 2005 figures.
Pattison said not since the 1950s and 1960s, when Canton was called the 22nd dirtiest city in the nation because of air quality, has the area fared this poorly in such a poll.
“I don’t know what criteria they’re using,” said Pattison, who wasn’t aware of the Canton-Massillon area’s landing on the list before talking to a reporter. “We’ve made great progress in our air quality. We actually meet all federal standards.”
“Until I know exactly what they’re using for their criteria, I don’t know what their report means,” he said.
The Pittsburgh area was ranked as the nation’s second-most-polluted metropolitan area.
The organization based the rankings on ozone pollution levels produced when heat and sunlight come into contact with pollutants from power plants, cars, refineries and other sources. The group also studied particle pollution levels emitted from these sources, which are made up of a mix of tiny solid and liquid particles in the air.
Such pollution can contribute to heart disease, lung cancer and asthma attacks, the association said. Those especially vulnerable to polluted air are children, senior citizens, people who work or exercise outdoors and people with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Nearly half of the U.S. population lives in counties that still have unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution, even though there appeared to be less ozone in many counties than previous years, the study found.
Canton-Massillon ranks 19th in the American Lung Association’s most-polluted U.S. urban areas by year-round particle pollution. The top 10:
1 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, Calif.
2 Pittsburgh-New Castle, Pa.
3 Bakersfield, Calif.
4 Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, Ala.
5 Detroit-Warren-Flint, Mich.
6 Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, Ohio
7 Visalia-Porterville, Calif.
8 Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, Ohio, Ky., Ind.
9 Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, Ind.
10 St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, Mo., Ill.
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES, CA - The Canton-Massillon area has picked up another unwanted distinction, this time as two of the most-polluted cities in America.
The Stark County cities combined to land at No. 19 on the American Lung Association’s bad-air list of the nation’s most polluted cities. “I can’t believe they have us that high,” Canton Health Commissioner Robert Pattison said.
The association found that the Los Angeles metropolitan area, which includes Long Beach and Riverside counties, had the worst air, based on 2003 through 2005 figures.
Pattison said not since the 1950s and 1960s, when Canton was called the 22nd dirtiest city in the nation because of air quality, has the area fared this poorly in such a poll.
“I don’t know what criteria they’re using,” said Pattison, who wasn’t aware of the Canton-Massillon area’s landing on the list before talking to a reporter. “We’ve made great progress in our air quality. We actually meet all federal standards.”
“Until I know exactly what they’re using for their criteria, I don’t know what their report means,” he said.
The Pittsburgh area was ranked as the nation’s second-most-polluted metropolitan area.
The organization based the rankings on ozone pollution levels produced when heat and sunlight come into contact with pollutants from power plants, cars, refineries and other sources. The group also studied particle pollution levels emitted from these sources, which are made up of a mix of tiny solid and liquid particles in the air.
Such pollution can contribute to heart disease, lung cancer and asthma attacks, the association said. Those especially vulnerable to polluted air are children, senior citizens, people who work or exercise outdoors and people with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Nearly half of the U.S. population lives in counties that still have unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution, even though there appeared to be less ozone in many counties than previous years, the study found.
Canton-Massillon ranks 19th in the American Lung Association’s most-polluted U.S. urban areas by year-round particle pollution. The top 10:
1 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, Calif.
2 Pittsburgh-New Castle, Pa.
3 Bakersfield, Calif.
4 Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, Ala.
5 Detroit-Warren-Flint, Mich.
6 Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, Ohio
7 Visalia-Porterville, Calif.
8 Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, Ohio, Ky., Ind.
9 Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, Ind.
10 St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, Mo., Ill.
