Deadliest Air Pollution In U.S.: Top 10 Worst Cities

You might be saying, “oh great, another list from Down To Earth.”  And that’s what I thought when it was emailed to me too - but there’s a lot of interesting information to look at here. After all, you can’t be too careful with the air you breathe.

The American Lung Association (ALA) has released their annual report , State of the Air 2011, highlighting which cities have the worst air for ozone pollution, short-term particle pollution, and year-long particle pollution.

This slideshow highlights the top cities ranked in the their “10 Cities Most Polluted by Year-Round Particle Pollution.” According to the report, over 18.5 million people in the U.S. live in a region with unhealthy levels of year-round particle pollution.

According to the ALA, particle pollution from power plants kills approximately 13,000 people per year.

The worst offender? Los Angeles.

Here are their stats:

Total Population: 17,820,893
Under 18: 4,682,410
65 and Over: 1,902,902
Pediatric Asthma: 310,610
Adult Asthma: 1,030,481
Chronic Bronchitis: 552,457
Emphysema: 257,170
Cardiovascular Disease: 4,512,759
Diabetes: 1,179,719
Poverty: 2,579,01

View the slideshow HERE .