The Most Toxic Cities In America: Atlanta Tops The List

Forbes has put out a list evaluating the toxicity of the 40 largest US metropolitan areas. The results may surprise you. Atlanta topped the list for most toxic city, while Las Vegas earned the distinction of being the least toxic. The New York metropolitan area, which is the most populous in the country, also found a spot on the least toxic list.

Forbes explained their methodology:

We counted the number of facilities that reported releasing toxins into the environment, the total pounds of certain toxic chemicals released into the air, water and earth, the days per year that air pollution was above healthy levels, and the total number of Superfund sites--contaminated areas that the federal government has designated for cleanup efforts--in each metro area's principal city.

Forbes also points out that chemical plants and industrial processing outside of the more populated areas contributed greatly to some of the cites' toxicity.

The full list.

The most toxic cities:
1. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta
2. Detroit-Warren-Livonia
3. Chicago-Naperville-Joliet
4. Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown
5. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
6. Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor

7. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana

8. Jacksonville

9. Baltimore-Towson

10. Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton



The least toxic cities:

1. Las Vegas-Paradise

2. Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville

3. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario

4. Austin-Round Rock

5. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue

6. San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos

7. Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News

8. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara

9. New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island

10. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale

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Comments

[mountainweb]

Relax, the Forbes article has been proven to be based on false data. The number of "superfund" sites that they used was totally false.

[CommunistUtopia]

Crooked politicians and bad air. What's not to love?

[StephenJK]

Not even a year after moving to Chicago I developed Asthma/pet allergies and chronic bronchitis. It hit me once during a cross country match and I almost completely closed up, respiratorially. After medical waivers I was permitted to join the US Army. I was stationed in Germany. What happened to my Asthma/allergies? Disappeared completely and I was a top three runner in my battalion. Bad lungs don't let you run 2 miles in less than 10 minutes. Guess what happened when I came back to Chicagoland? Chronic Bronchitis reappeared and so did my Asthma/pet allergies.

[tones]

Forbes studys are nothing more than math equations and usually don't make sense. Didn't they just have a study calling Chicago one of the most Green and Green jobs cities....

[Myshkin57]

Yep. I really wish this site would stop posting Forbes lists. They always use irrelevant numbers to create these lists and often inaccurate information.

[jsgaetano]

While we do have issues with pollution in Chicago, and it really saddens me we aren't leading the way in green living, we need to also watch out for right wing outlets like Forbes, Fox, and the Tribune, who will bash Chicago for any reason... and failing that they'll even start making things up.

[LMPE]

How could Portland be one of the most toxic?

[hellboundtrain]

Bad sushi.

[UncleJimbo]

Tainted Green Tea?

[KYZipster]

Their methodology doesn't seem to give an accurate picture as far as quality of life. I live in a city that ranks second only to areas near Los Angeles in air pollution, at least by the results of one study. It's because of stagnant air flow, pollution blows in from other regions and gets trapped here. We didn't even make it on the list because they seem to be measuring other factors unrelated to the air quality that we live with. I wouldn't use this study to make a decision on living somewhere necessarily.

[BlackYowe]

Wow I am surprised.

[StephenJK]

Oh yeah. Me too.

/sarcasm

[ckmapawatt]

I live in Atlanta and am disappointed in the rankings. Atlanta doesn't look that polluted on the surface, but the air quality is pretty bad and we can't see the chemicals in the ground. I wrote a blog on my feelings here that is worth reading if you live in a toxic city:
http://blog.mapawatt.com/2009/11/04/toxic-cities/

[humanbeinghuman]

i lived in atlanta for quite a while and, until i was able to move away, i would only fly out at night. the hazy brown air was just too disturbing.

[Dredd]

A parochial viewpoint causes problems down the road. The earth is a global organism that needs global attention. If we focus on small areas with our concern we may not be able to fashion macrocosmic approaches that will be required to solve the problems.

http://blogdredd.blogspot.com/2009/10/global-bad-air-day-parochial-fantasy.html

[Cinderpath]

I'll take the air and water from Detroit way before I'll take it from anywhere in So Cal- when it is not forest fire smoke laden, it is car exhaust laden; no thanks.

[RyKi]

No thanks to either of those.

[beerent]

I grew up in San Jose. When I was in 6th grade ('81) the smog would get trapped in the valley as winds off the ocean would move east over the mountains and basically circulate fresh pollution in a circular motion between the hilly ranges that defined the valley.

It was so bad that we couldn't leave school at the end of the day. Our parents had to come pick us up so we could travel in the air conditioned environment of the car. Funny, the car saves us from pollution. Hah.

I've been in Chicago since '87. I've never experienced anything like that here. Sure, there are other things that will determine the toxicity of a city, but I'm surprised that San Jose is cited as a "clean" city.

Silicon Valley can't be good for the environment. Something smells – it's the Forbes list.

[JohnDrake6]

I've lived in both Atlanta and Northern NJ and it's hard to believe this ranking. Was Tony Soprano involved?

On the other hand, given the amount of benzene lawn mowers are responsible for, any place with lots of grass to mow may deserve a high ranking.

[winterfield]

I think Forbes makes up their lists with a dart board. Most of them don't add up.

[StephenJK]

You don't think Chicagoland is one of the most polluted in the nation? Then you don't have much common sense.

[hellboundtrain]

The dart board methodology is proven as good as any
espoused by the professional advisers for Wall street investors!

Dart boards rule!

[CoyoteMan]

I beg to differ. The air here in Las Vegas stinks and there is a brown pall around the city each day
A city with no visible industry except tourism shouldn't have this nasty air!

[RyKi]

It is a desert so dust could be a part of that.

[watchTVgetSTUPID]

Woman killed by green way of life
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...

[Rapier]

Portland is a surprise. Always thought Oregonians were keen friends of the Earth.