Second most polluted in US?

[TheGerbil]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18413570/?GT1=9951

I don't think I believe it. The air here seems pretty clean to me, compared to some places I have visited (e.g. New York City). I think this kind of list can be quite misleading, and I'd like to know exactly where they took their measurements.

[Evergrey]

yes... this annual list where everyone can validate their tired old stereotypes of steel mills belching into the skies...

the problem with this ranking is that one of the air quality monitors is located next to the U.S. Steel coke works in Clairton... the largest coke works in the country... which skews our rating... while the air quality is very bad for the Clairton area... the rest of the region fares much better... most of the monitors are in compliance with standards... local experts state that Pittsburgh's air quality is in line with other similar-sized metro areas...

in addition... 84% of our air pollution comes from Ohio and West Virginia... East Liverpool, Steubenville, Weirton... those places have some nasty polluting industries

links to articles expressing skepticism about our past "most polluted" rankings:

http://media.www.pittnews.com/media/storag...ww.pittnews.com

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05118/495641.stm

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_328731.html

...

and while, yes... I do want Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania to continue to improve air quality... this study and its misleading ranking are a slap in the face to everyone who's worked so hard in transforming this place from the Smokey City to a lush, green city with clean rivers (Bassmaster Classic), much cleaner air, brownfield redevelopment and green building

http://www.pittsburghgreenstory.org/html/index.html

[ainulindale]

In addition to most of Pittsburgh's pollution coming from the midwest, I read the study is simply flawed. The people involved measured the air quality of the Mon Valley which is the most polluted area of Pittsburgh, then extrapolated that figure to the rest of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.