Merced County is one of the country’s most polluted places to live, new report finds
This story is part of the Central Valley News Collaborative — a bilingual, community journalism project funded by the Central Valley Community Foundation and with technology and training support from Microsoft Corp. The collaboration includes The Fresno Bee, Valley Public Radio, Vida en el Valle, Radio Bilingüe and the Institute for Media & Public Trust at Fresno State.
More than 98% of Californians live in a community earning a “failing grade” for air pollution, according to the American Lung Association’s 2023 State of the Air report.
Though pollution levels in California and across the nation dropped compared to previous years, the report concludes residents of the Golden State “still face the most difficult air pollution challenges in the nation.”
The report ranked Merced County as being the 19th worst for year-round particle pollution nationwide.
Other San Joaquin Valley counties ranked even worse. Fresno, Madera, Kern and Kings counties are all among the top 10 for three categories of air pollution — daily or short-term particle pollution, annual particle pollution and ozone pollution.
“Certainly the San Joaquin Valley had the most difficult part of the pollution challenges in the nation,” said Will Barrett, the American Lung Association’s national senior director of clean air advocacy.
“For farmworkers in particular, we know this is a challenging area,” Barrett said. “We know that this is an ongoing challenge and risk factor for outdoor workers and farmworkers, especially, that need strong state attention.”
Work and health risks of particle pollution
The American Lung Association defines particle pollution as a diverse mix of solid particles and liquid droplets suspended in the air that are harmful when inhaled.
The association states exposure to particle pollution, even at low levels, can be deadly because particles of all sizes are harmful to health when inhaled. This type of air pollution can increase the risk of heart disease, lung cancer and asthma attacks plus interfere with the growth and function of the lungs.
Some of these particles can be visible to the naked eye – like soil, dirt, pollen, smoke and soot – while others are microscopic. Though air pollution can mostly be perceived outdoors, the association said indoor air can also contain particle pollutants.
Fuel combustion from vehicles and equipment, unpaved roads and construction activities are some of the main sources emitting pollutant particles. Natural events like wildfires, droughts and desertification – made more intense and frequent by climate change – also increase atmospheric particle pollution, the association said.
Mariela Ruacho, clean air advocacy manager for the ALA in California, said transportation is the leading contributor to ozone pollution in California, and the growth of intense wildfires heavily impacts particle pollution across the state.
The state “needs to move quickly and consistently,” Ruacho said, when addressing wildfire prevention efforts, public education and leadership against climate change.
“Key to these efforts are widespread changes in the state’s transportation system,” she said. “We also need to build a healthier transportation system. We can’t continue to invest public funds in highway projects that increase harm.”
Low-income and communities of color are the most affected
Despite some improvements to local air quality, California cities remain among the nation’s most polluted, Ruacho said.
Nationwide, eleven counties received failing grades for all three measures of pollution: Fresno, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Riverside, San Bernardino, Stanislaus, Sutter, and Tulare in California and Pinal in Arizona.
“Nearly 120 million people, more than one in three, live in counties that had unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution,” said Katherine Pruitt, the American Lung Association’s national senior director of policy and health education.
That’s 17.6 million fewer people nationwide than last year and an “indicator of overall improvement” in national air quality, Pruitt said. “But the improvements were unequally distributed.”
Although people of color are 41% of the overall population of the U.S., they are 54% of those 120 million living in counties with at least one failing grade.
In the counties with failing grades for all three pollution measures, the study reports 72% of residents affected are people of color, compared to the 28% who are white.
“Sadly, those most severely impacted are our low-income communities and communities of color with nearby sources of diesel exhaust from trucks, trains or ships,” Ruacho said. “The report shows that California has again seen improved clean air progress, but even more work must be done to bring clean, healthy air to all communities.”
The full 2023 State of the Air report is online at www.stateoftheair.org.