Now that air quality officials are saying this is the worst season of winter air pollution in the Bay Area in years, here’s a sobering statistic from the American Lung Association: five of the nation’s 10 filthiest cities for so-called short term particle pollution are in the Central Valley. Plus eight of the filthiest 16. See the list.
Add: Topping the list: Bakersfield. Fresno is second. Although the cliché persists, the Central Valley—buried under an agri-chemical soup most days—has clearly usurped Los Angeles as home to the nation’s worst overall air pollution.
