los angeles dethroned by lowly pittsburgh in air quality battle.

ranked first in the short-term particle pollution category on the american lung association's annual state of the air report, pittsburgh dethroned reigning champion los angeles. the american lung association qualifies short-term particle pollution as a "deadly cocktail of ash, soot, diesel exhaust, chemicals, metals and aerosols... the body's natural defenses, coughing and sneezing, fail to keep these microscopic particles from burrowing deep within the lungs."

pittsburgh kept a close second against the champion los angeles in the most year-round particle pollution game.

these rankings may look bad for los angeles but the truth is they've made strides in improving their air quality, both year-round air pollution and smog.

still, there is much much much to be done nationwide. but there's clearly hope by the example of los angeles. they showed us that if you're really determined to change you can!

see how your city and state ranked.


even if your city isn't listed as a contender in poor air quality, please understand that smog is very very dangerous. it can creep into your system and stick around for periods of time and lead to heart attacks, asthma, difficulty in breathing, strokes, lung cancer and even early death. imagine, lung cancer without ever picking up a cigarette.

so you see, air quality and smog impact more than just our ozone layer.

read the horror story about donora, pennsylvania and their smog attack on halloween night in 1948. maybe it'll help you consider more ways you can improve the air around you. remember, doing your part helps more than you know. (the picture above is from that dreadful night.) from the lessons learned at donora the 1955 clean air act passed.