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Dallas-Fort Worth ranks among worst in the country for ozone pollution, report says

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Published  April 24, 2024 9:53am CDT
Dallas
FOX 4

Dallas-Fort Worth is one of the worst areas in the country for ozone pollution, according to a new report.

The American Lung Association released its 2024 "State of the Air" report on Wednesday.

The report looked at the levels of ozone smog and found the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex ranked 13th worst in the country.

Houston finished 10th worst.

Tarrant County received an F grade for its ground-level ozone pollution, the 25th worst in the country. The report says there are 17.7 "unhealthy" days in the county per year. That's up from 15 days per year last year.

"In the 25 years that the American Lung Association has been doing our ‘State of the Air’ report, we have seen incredible improvement in our nation’s air quality. Unfortunately, more than 131 million people still live in places with unhealthy levels of air pollution, and the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area is listed as one of the worst places for ozone pollution," said Charlie Gagen, Director of Advocacy for the American Lung Association in Texas. 

The American Lung Association says 39% of people living in American are living in places with failing grades for unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution. That numbers is up 11.7 million from 2023.

"When we started doing "State of the Air" in the 2000, I never imagined that in the 25th edition we would be reporting that more than 100 million people are still breathing unhealthy air. It’s unacceptable," said Paul Billings of the American Lung Association.

Several of the most polluted areas in the country are in the western United States.

The report says extreme heat, drought and wildfires are contributing to the pollution.

Most Polluted Areas in U.S. by Ozone

  1. Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA
  2. Visalia, CA
  3. Bakersfield, CA
  4. Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA
  5. Phoenix-Mesa, AZ
  6. Denver-Aurora, CO
  7. Sacramento-Roseville, CA
  8. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
  9. Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem, UT
  10. Houston-The Woodlands, TX
  11. Las Vegas-Henderson, NV
  12. San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA
  13. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK
  14. New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA
  15. El Paso-Las Cruces, TX-NM
  16. Fort Collins, CO
  17. Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI
  18. El Centro, CA
  19. Reno-Carson City-Fernley, NV
  20. Colorado Springs, CO
  21. Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM
  22. Redding-Red Bluff, CA
  23. San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
  24. San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX
  25. Grand Rapids-Kentwood-Muskegon, MI