California has nation's dirtiest air, clean-air advocate says

FRESNO — Millions of Californians live in places with dirty air, according to an annual report card issued Wednesday that ranks two major urban areas in the state as the nation’s most polluted.

Bakersfield tops the list for having the most unhealthy days from airborne particles spewed by highway traffic, diesel trucks, farm equipment and fireplaces, the American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2016 report says.

Air pollution can trigger asthma attacks, heart attacks, lead to lung cancer and cause premature death.

“California is making tremendous progress,” said Bonnie Holmes-Gen, senior director of air quality and climate change at the American Lung Association in California.

Eight out of 10 Californians — 32 million people — live in counties with unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution some time during the year, says the report, using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data for three years ending in 2014.

Los Angeles remains the city with the worst ozone pollution, but the report said the nation’s second-largest city also achieved its best overall air quality score of all those years.