Oceanside Regional Air Quality Among Worst In U.S. - Report

OCEANSIDE, CA — The American Lung Association released the "State of the Air" 2021 report this week and the news is not good for most Californians.

More than 4 in 10 people in the greater Oceanside region live where pollution levels frequently make the air too dangerous to breathe.

The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro region ranked 7 for high ozone days out of 229 metropolitan areas, ranked 37 for 24-hour particle pollution out of 216 metropolitan areas, and ranked 43 for annual particle pollution out of 204 metropolitan areas.

This year’s “State of the Air” report finds that despite decades of progress, California continues to face some of the most significant challenges in the United States for the most harmful and widespread types of air pollution: particle pollution and ozone. The health of Californians – nearly all of whom live in a county with a failing grade in this year’s report – is more urgent and more daunting due to climate change impacts including extreme heat and wildfires that continue to undermine progress.

Seven of the nation’s ten most ozone-polluted cities in the United States are in California, including the Los Angeles-Long Beach metropolitan area which ranks as the most polluted city again in “State of the Air” 2021. For particle pollution, six California cities appear among the ten most polluted by short-term spikes in particle pollution and for unhealthy annual particle pollution levels. Bakersfield ranks as the most polluted American city for unhealthy annual levels of particle pollution in “State of the Air” 2021.

Dig deeper into how the San Diego region compared to other counties.

View the “State of the Air” 2021 report and learn how you can protect your health and take steps to make the air cleaner and healthier.

Live in or near Oceanside? Click here to subscribe to our free breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox and mobile devices.

Have a news tip or suggestion on how I can improve Oceanside-Camp Pendleton Patch? Interested in showcasing your business as one of our sponsors? Email any inquiries to me at lisa.frost@patch.com.