Last
year: #2
Ozone
pollution rank: #2
It's official: Bakersfield, located at the southern end of the toxic San Joaquin Valley, has the worst air quality in America. Many factors combine to explain such copious pollution levels. A large portion of the nation's produce comes from Bakersfield. Mist from fertilizers and pesticides, and dust from tractors, pollute the air. Large quantities of particles are also pumped into the air through heavy diesel truck traffic on highways. Bakersfield, like Phoenix, is boxed in by mountains and inversion layers trap pollution.
