The Los Angeles-Long Beach metropolitan area has the worst smog pollution in the nation — and among the worst pollution overall — according to a new report from the American Lung Association.
The association’s annual State of the Air Report, which likely provided confirmation of what those in Los Angeles County already knew, came out on Thursday, April 21 — the eve of Earth Day.
The association used U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data from 2018 to 2020 to formulate air quality “report cards” nationwide.
California metro areas took 11 of the top 25 spots on the list of places with the worst smog.
The state “retains its historic distinction of having the most cities on the list,” the report said.
And LA-Long Beach had the worst smog pollution overall, with about 180 days of high ozone pollution since 2018. The LA-Long Beach metro area received failing grades for ozone, 24-hour particle pollution and annual particle pollution. It was ranks first, eighth and fifth in those categories, respectively, out of more than 200 metropolitan areas nationwide.
“Ground-level ozone pollution (smog) is a powerful respiratory irritant whose effects have been likened to a sunburn of the lung,” the report reads. “Inhaling ozone can cause shortness of breath, trigger coughing and asthma attacks, and may shorten life.”
The transportation sector is a major contributor to the creation of ground-level smog, according to the EPA. Constant vehicle traffic on LA and Long Beach freeways, in the ports, and in the skies all contribute to ozone-layer depletion and smog formation.
The Los Angeles area is also home to more than its fair share of refineries and industrial facilities, which contribute to air pollution.
Mere weeks ago, the region’s air quality watchdog confirmed that unplanned flaring at the Torrance Refinery leaked an unknown amount of Nitrogen Oxide — one of the most significant contributors to ozone layer depletion — into the atmosphere. Refinery officials said flaring is meant to safely combust excess hydrocarbons, which are greenhouse gases. Areas refineries have worked to significantly reduce flaring over the last decade.
The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and the freeways that carry trucks to and from the San Pedro Bay complex — particularly the 710 Freeway — are also major contributors.
In Long Beach, those who live closest to the port and the 710, who tend to be low-income and people of color, have worse health outcomes than the city as a whole.
The ports, for their part, have repeatedly acknowledged the role they play in contributing to pollution. They have worked to reduce emissions — they have a joint goal of having entirely zero-emission equiment by 2030 and a zero-emissions truck fleet by 2035 — and also spend money on projects in nearby neighborhoods to reduce impacts from their operations.
California’s high temperatures and drought-conditions, meanwhile, also contribute to smog: Warmer temperatures, driven up by climate change, make smog more likely to form and harder to clean up, the report said.
Los Angeles and Long Beach also ranked among the top 25 cities most affected by short-term and year-round particle pollution.
“Particle pollution can occur year-round,” according to the EPA, “and presents air quality problems at concentrations found in many major cities throughout the United States.”
Particle pollution can occur anywhere, the EPA said, — even in air that looks clean.
LA and LB had about 20 days in which the particle pollution jumped to an unhealthy level since 2018. But year-round, both cities’ particle pollution levels were worse than the national air quality limits, the report said.
It’s becoming a major problem in the western United States, the report said, as wildfires — which produce particulate pollution, including smoke and ash — become more frequent occurrences because of climate change.
“Wildfires in the western U.S. are not only increasing the number of days and places with unhealthy levels of particle pollution,” the report said, “they are also increasing the severity of pollution.”
Various western United States counties experienced “hazardous” air quality conditions for a total of 74 days — up from 10 days in the American Lung Association’s previous report. Across the country, more than 63 million people live in counties with “F” grades for spikes in daily particle pollution.
Nationally, three out of every eight Americans live in areas badly polluted by smog, the report said.
But the burden of pollution is not shared equally, the report said:
People of color are 61% more likely to live in a county with a failing grade in at least one of the categories evaluated by the association. They’re nearly four times as likely to live in a county with a failing grade for all three.
“You can take action to protect yourself from the dangers of air pollution,” the ALA report said. “Regardless of its grade or ranking in this report, any community can experience days with unhealthy levels of air pollution.”
The ALA recommends prioritizing walking, biking or public transit over gas-powered vehicles. Try to conserve electricity — and don’t burn leaves, wood or grass.