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Last night, I saw a story on the news declaring (no shock) that my home city (Houston) has once again made a list of most polluted ("toxic") cities in the country, primarily based on our air quality. Our local governments have been heavily regulating the amount of pollution an individual's car can produce at a time through vehicle emission testing, but have left some very large gaps in this policy (heavy truck and bus standards leave much to be desired.) Also, the largest culprits are our local refineries. Little has been done to curb their habits. (Partially because they cannot be regulated by the City of Houston because they are not actually in the City of Houston; They are in Texas City, Pasadena, and other small surrounding cities.) The scary thing is that we have improved our air quality greatly. It used to rank as the worst air in the nation and was a very ghastly green color. mrgreen At least now most of our pollution is less visible. Still hurtful.

The list was compiled with population as a standard. Only the largest cities in the United States were considered. In order, the most toxic cities as decided by Forbes Magazine are:

1. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2. Bakersfield, California
3. Fresno, California
4. New York, New York
5. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
6. Los Angeles, California
7. Houston, Texas
8. St. Louis, Missouri
9. Salt Lake City, Utah
10. Riverside- San Bernadino, California

I thought it was interesting to compare these cities rank on the list with a list of the most populous cities in the United States. I'll list the top ten, then the rank of any of the other cities in the first list. Highligted cities are ranked in the top 10 by population but did not rank in the top 10 most toxic.

1. New York, New York
2. Los Angeles, California
3. Chicago, Illinois
4. Houston, Texas
5. Phoenix, Arizona
6. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
7. San Antonio, Texas
8. San Diego, California
9. Dallas, Texas
10. San Jose, California
36. Fresno, California
52. St. Louis, Missouri
58. Bakersfield, California
62. Riverside, California
88. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
127. Salt Lake City, Utah

What do you think of the list of toxic cities? Are you surprised your city is on/ not on the list? What are some things your city does on a local level to combat pollution? Do you think population was a fair basis for use in compiling the list?

I love San Antonio! heart Such a beautiful and vibrant city! I noticed Dallas is also in the top ten largest cities but not in the top ten toxic cities. I wonder how all of the new drilling in the suburbs will eventually affect that? Then again, Dallas has had drilling for a very long time.

I love farmer's markets, too. There is a large market on Highway 6 near the 290 ramp in Hempstead that is supplied by mostly independent farms. The food is so fresh! I can't wait till it is closer to (true) watermelon season so I can get a giant one. Omnomnom!

I've been interested in this too. The place I live has very poor air quality and I want to move stare

Here is a map I found that lists all of the US states and their quality of air. BAD AIR MAP

Nice map. I know what you mean, its hard not living near your family. I do want to move though, a few years ago my dad died of lung cancer and he didn't smoke a day in his life. That taught me how bad the air pollution is really getting these days, especially out here in California.

Interesting, thanks for the information! I will look into that. However, seeing as my location is at the very top of the top 10 list, it leads me to believe it had something to do with the air pollution as well.

Just looked it up and found a great site for radon maps here: Radon Maps

@MoonPyxie: Sorry to hear about your dad. I've lost people to cancer, too. Thanks for posting the radon maps. I honestly had no clue what the radon potential was in my area. It looks like it is not too bad in Texas. I think I read that power transformers cause radon as well, though. I know some places have disclosure laws that specifically apply to radon, too.

@Sunset: Excellent point. There are so many things that can cause cancer that it may be a while before we can figure out all of the mechanisms behind each of the different ones. Studying people who were able to stay healthy also seems like a great way to help narrow the research.

It seems like we focus a lot in this guild about what we can do on an individual level for the environment/ our health. I have always wondered why some communities seem to have a more successful time at solving some of our larger societal problems concerning the environment. I don't think it really has anything to do with political party or indifference. I have been thinking that maybe it has to do with the approach a community takes. Does anyone have any ideas about a specific action your community has taken/ not taken that has affected whether or not your community is considered "toxic?"

@ Dragon: I think a lot has to do with the types of industries and where they are sited, in respect to the climate/weather. Take Tulsa, for instance, the city closest to me. Most of the time, cities in the plains have wind, which dissipates whatever is in the air to safe levels. A couple of times during the summers, there will be "ozone alerts," periods when little or no wind is forecast. On those days, people walk when they can, bike, carpool----everyone has to breathe the same air, so everyone does their best to keep it as clean as possible. The same behavior keeps the rivers and lakes in Oklahoma in good condition.

It all comes down to treating the other guy the way you want to be treated, along with some thoughtful city planning. As always---in my opinion!

its so funny how a lot of the toxic cities are located in California yet california is hte number one state in being green in the US, and we're still not that good....