2. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA

Forbes: America's Dirtiest Cities

Millions of cars, a huge port in Long Beach, busy airports -- at least L.A.'s smog is better than it used to be.
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America's Dirtie... You don't have to live next to a coal plant to suffer the effects of air pollution. The American Lung Association figures that half the nation lives where the air is sometimes dangerous to breathe. To get these dirtiest cities we averaged the Lung Association's individual findings on ozone and particulate pollution from its report State of the Air 2011.
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America’s Most Dangerous Cities
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Birmingham-Hoove... Pollution levels have improved a lot, but Birmingham suffers from being located in a valley that tends to trap stagnant summer air. Two interstate highways don't help either.

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America’s Most Dangerous Cities
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7. Birmingham-Ho... Population: 1.2 million
Year-round particulate pollution rank: 8
Short-term particulate pollution rank: 8
Ozone pollution rank: 21

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America’s Most Dangerous Cities
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Modesto, CA Home to E&J Gallo Winery, which also operates the largest wine bottle manufacturing plant in the world.

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6. Modesto, CA Population: 500,000
Year-round particulate pollution rank: 10
Short-term particulate pollution rank: 12
Ozone pollution rank: 14

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America’s Most Dangerous Cities
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The Most Beautiful College Campuses

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Pittsburgh-New C... This old steel town is a new boom town for natural gas drilling, and downwind of coal-fired power plants in Ohio and West Virgina.
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America’s Most Dangerous Cities
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5. Pittsburgh-Ne... Population: 2.4 million
Year-round particulate pollution rank: 7
Short-term particulate pollution rank: 3
Ozone pollution rank: 24

(iStock)

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America’s Most Dangerous Cities
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The Most Beautiful College Campuses

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Fresno-Madera, C... San Joaquin Valley air might be getting better; last August, for the first time in recorded history, Fresno had no days with unhealthy ozone levels.
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America’s Most Dangerous Cities
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4. Fresno-Madera... Population: 1.1 million
Year-round particulate pollution rank: 6
Short-term particulate pollution rank: 2
Ozone pollution rank: 4

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America’s Most Dangerous Cities
America’s Dirtiest Hotels
The Most Beautiful College Campuses

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Visalia-Portervi... Proximity to the giant trees of Sequoia National Park isn't enough to clean Visalia's smoggy San Joaquin Valley air.

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3. Visalia-Porte... Population: 430,000
Year-round particulate pollution rank: 2
Short-term particulate pollution rank: 7
Ozone pollution rank: 3

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2. Los Angeles-L... Millions of cars, a huge port in Long Beach, busy airports -- at least L.A.'s smog is better than it used to be.
(iStock)

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America’s Most Dangerous Cities
America’s Dirtiest Hotels
The Most Beautiful College Campuses

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2. Los Angeles-L... Population: 17.8 million
Year-round particulate pollution rank: 2
Short-term particulate pollution rank: 4
Ozone pollution rank: 1

(iStock)

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America’s Most Dangerous Cities
America’s Dirtiest Hotels
The Most Beautiful College Campuses

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Bakersfield-Dela... Hot, dusty and surrounded by California's biggest oil fields, Bakersfield has all the ingredients for the worst air in the nation.
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America’s Most Dangerous Cities
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The Most Beautiful College Campuses

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1. Bakersfield-D... Population: 800,000
Year-round particulate pollution rank: 1
Short-term particulate pollution rank: 1
Ozone pollution rank: 2

More From Forbes:
America’s Most Dangerous Cities
America’s Dirtiest Hotels
The Most Beautiful College Campuses

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
More From Forbes Click here to see the full list of America's dirtiest cities.