Philadelphia tops list of U.S. most toxic cities
Reuters – Philadelphia, Bakersfield and Fresno, California, are the most toxic cities in America, according to a new study that looked at air and water quality in metropolitan areas. “Philadelphia doesn’t have great air, but other cities have worst,” said Morgan Brennan, of forbes.com, which conducted the report. “But the Philadelphia area has over 50 Superfund sites, really poor water quality, and a hefty amount of toxic releases.” New York City and Baton Rouge, in Louisiana rounded out the top five most toxic cities in the country. To compile the list, forbes.com looked at 80 of America’s largest metropolitan areas and examined the number of Superfund locations, unused areas which contain hazardous materials, as well as the local Air Quality Index (AQI) and Toxics Release Index, a measure of how much toxic material is released, recycled or managed by local industries. Read Article
