Air pollution in California - Facts

California is the US state most affected with air pollution. Air quality in some parts of California is doing serious health damage to many people. The cities in California such as Los Angeles, Bakersfield, and Visalla-Porterville, are among the most polluted cities in United States.

Only area around Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania has worst air compared to these Californian cities. The 2008 Cal State Fullerton study found that air pollution in California is killing more people than car crashes do, and this study also stated that pollution levels must fall by 50 percent in both regions for health and economic benefits to occur in California. This however, looks almost impossible to achieve.

It is estimated that there are around 175 million of people in United States which live in areas affected with air pollution, and California accounts for more than third of this number.

Why is air pollution issue so expressed in California? The answer is quite simple, the combination of lot of cars and lot of sunlight.

Air pollution in California isn't only causing serious environmental and health damage but also huge economic damage. The Rand Corporation study has found that polluted air in California accounts each year for around $193 million in hospital costs. They also found out that Los Angeles County spent the most in the state on air pollution-related ailments.

If we look at the top ten cities in the United States with the worst air pollution, California cities have 8 out of 10 for ozone (including the first six on this list, 5 out of 10 for annual particle pollution, and 7 out of 10 for short-term particle pollution.

Bakersfield, California is very likely the city with the worst air pollution in United States.

It is estimated that air pollution kills around 25,000 people each year in California.