http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/02/toxic-cities-pollution-lifestyle-real-estat
e-toxic-cities_chart.html
e-toxic-cities_chart.html
America's Most Toxic Cities
Francesca Levy, 11.02.09, 06:00 PM ESTPoor air quality, lack of clean water and a high rate of superfund sites make these metros most contaminated.
Metro Area | Number of Superfund sites in principal city | Number of facilities releasing toxic chemicals | Pounds of toxic chemicals released in area | Air Quality Ranking, 2007 | Overall Toxic Cities ranking (best to worst) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas-Paradise, NV Metro Area | 5 | 50 | 2,075,237 | 11 | 1 |
| Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, CA Metro Area | 13 | 55 | 659,865 | 14 | 2 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Metro Area | 11 | 160 | 2,082,462 | 3 | 3 |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX Metro Area | 4 | 44 | 660,611 | 39 | 4 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Metro Area | 12 | 135 | 4,225,497 | 16 | 5 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA Metro Area | 16 | 77 | 2,425,896 | 27 | 6 |
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC Metro Area | 6 | 63 | 10,157,973 | 32 | 7 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metro Area | 17 | 81 | 417,505 | 33 | 8 |
| New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area | 2 | 452 | 9,897,930 | 5 | 9 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ Metro Area | 33 | 203 | 3,067,616 | 1 | 9 |
| Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, RI-MA Metro Area | 4 | 179 | 2,898,776 | 30 | 11 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH Metro Area | 7 | 278 | 3,106,166 | 20 | 12 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN Metro Area | 10 | 99 | 8,530,127 | 31 | 13 |
| Denver-Aurora, CO Metro Area | 26 | 105 | 4,880,332 | 18 | 14 |
| Columbus, OH Metro Area | 12 | 123 | 5,295,408 | 34 | 15 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metro Area | 12 | 259 | 15,543,283 | 6 | 15 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA Metro Area | 10 | 127 | 6,145,119 | 34 | 15 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area | 33 | 98 | 17,927,627 | 7 | 18 |
| San Antonio, TX Metro Area | 17 | 75 | 5,449,175 | 36 | 19 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel, IN Metro Area | 16 | 127 | 21,990,812 | 17 | 20 |
| Pittsburgh, PA Metro Area | 7 | 247 | 81,634,235 | 9 | 21 |
| Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN Metro Area | 15 | 235 | 22,901,153 | 13 | 22 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL Metro Area | 42 | 81 | 2,368,807 | 40 | 23 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL Metro Area | 19 | 211 | 33,051,384 | 4 | 23 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Metro Area | 53 | 135 | 4,214,706 | 23 | 23 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS Metro Area | 24 | 139 | 10,427,215 | 21 | 26 |
| Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC Metro Area | 18 | 132 | 15,267,370 | 25 | 27 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee, FL Metro Area | 19 | 63 | 15,773,627 | 38 | 28 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI Metro Area | 15 | 243 | 11,442,042 | 29 | 29 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area | 34 | 332 | 6,605,651 | 15 | 30 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA Metro Area | 28 | 177 | 12,437,004 | 26 | 31 |
| Baltimore-Towson, MD Metro Area | 37 | 99 | 29,793,565 | 24 | 32 |
| Jacksonville, FL Metro Area | 70 | 73 | 15,164,615 | 37 | 33 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA Metro Area | 99 | 480 | 10,391,461 | 7 | 34 |
| Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH Metro Area | 25 | 299 | 24,475,620 | 18 | 35 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area | 86 | 341 | 24,693,320 | 11 | 36 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI Metro Area | 104 | 773 | 77,632,218 | 2 | 37 |
| Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX Metro Area | 50 | 432 | 88,754,384 | 10 | 37 |
| Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI Metro Area | 68 | 281 | 42,051,308 | 22 | 39 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA Metro Area | 58 | 277 | 41,502,855 | 28 | 40 |
