L.A. Tops List Of 'Most Polluted Cities'

NASA

Old timers will tell you it's not like it used to be, when Los Angeles would be socked in for weeks at a time by dense smog that ringed the foothills and capped the basin. It has been a long time. Still, comparatively speaking, L.A. is still tops when it comes to air pollution.

The American Lung Association on Wednesday released its annual "State of the Air" list of "Most Polluted Cities," and L.A.-Long Beach-Riverside ranked number one for ozone, number three for year-round particle pollution (diesel particulates and the like) and number four for short-term particle pollution.

The association reports that Los Angeles actually has seen annual improvements in particulates and that it "reported its second lowest ozone levels since the Lung Association's first report in 2000."

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was scheduled to release the results at a press conference today, so we're sure these improvements will take up much of his spin.