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Valley Counties Rank Among Worst In Air Pollution Report

A new report on air quality shows that many neighboorhoods in Fresno County and Bakersfield rank among the worst in the nation when it comes to pollution.

The American Lung Association released the findings of its annual “State of the Air” report today ranking the Fresno- Madera area as the nation’s worst based on exposure to chemicals and particulate matter.

"There's been significant improvement in the Valley, we want to recognize that, but it is still some of the worst air quality in the nation because of the topography, the meteorology and the geography of this bowl that we sit in." - Jaime Holt.

Jaime Holt is the chief communications officer with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.

"There's been significant improvement in the Valley, we want to recognize that, but it is still some of the worst air quality in the nation because of the topography, the meteorology and the geography of this bowl that we sit in," Holt says.

Along with the Fresno-Madera area, the Visalia-Porterville, Hanford area, the Modesto-Merced area and Bakersfield ranked among the first five worst for both ozone and particle pollution.

All counties in the San Joaquin Valley received failing grades for ozone.

Diana Aguilera is a multimedia reporter native of Santiago, Chile. It was during her childhood in Santiago where her love for journalism sparked. Diana moved to Fresno while in her teens and is a proud graduate of California State University, Fresno. While earning her degree in journalism and minor in Latin American studies, Diana worked for the Fresno Bee. Her work as a general assignment reporter continued after college and was recognized by the California Newspaper Publishers Association. In 2014, she joined Valley Public Radio. Her hobbies include yoga, traveling and reading.
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