One website has used data from local governments to point out the cities with the greatest air quality. Meanwhile, the AML has a list with the dirtiest air in the US.
Worldwide Pollution
It is a fact that some regions have cleaner air than others. However, this does not mean that those who live in areas that do have clean air are not inhaling pollutants from other areas. Americans can easily be breathing toxins from the other side of the world or the other way around. Still, those cities that do claim to have high air quality are using this fact to promote tourism in these areas.
Cleanest Air in the World
The website travelandlesiure.com credits Tasmania; Big Island, Hawaii; Iceland; Cape Peninsula, South Africa; Tahiti; Samoa; Antarctica; Easter Island, Patagonia’s Lakes and South Island, New Zealand as being the top ten places with the best air quality. Their ranking is determined by local governments’ monitoring stations which measure long-term changes in carbon dioxide or ozone and determining what pollutants are in the air around them. They test for up to 250 pollutants in the air and rank their harmful effects.
Reasons for Clean Air
The look of the air is no determining factor in measuring its toxicity or uncleanness. Air that looks clean can be said to be full of invisible toxins, and haziness can sometimes be the result of water vapor. Also, the local stations that measure air quality can be located in places that do not give an accurate reading of the entire area. One such place this is true of is Hawaii which has better air quality on some islands compared to others.
Seasons can also determine pollution levels. Air temperatures and precipitation can help rid the air of pollutants, making the area cleaner in rainier parts of the year than others. Population and use of diesel engines are obvious factors that contribute as well. However, forests are also said to be polluted because the plans absorb the carbon dioxide omitted from the unclean air caused by traffic.
Tropical islands are also not safe from pollutants due to the abundance of old cars which release more emissions than newer cars. However, the Southern Hemisphere itself is said to be twice as clean as the north because it contains fewer people and cities that create pollution. The air does not get transferred from one hemisphere to another because of weather patterns moving easterly and in no other direction.
Poor Air Quality: The United States
While one website is praising areas with clean air quality, a recent report came out from the American Lung Association ranking the cities with the worst air quality in the United States. Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., Baltimore and Los Angeles topped the list, causing concern for the residents who live in these states. This is because smog exposure puts people at greater risk for lung cancer and other similar diseases, making air pollution an important issue both locally and worldwide.
