Pollution in California

A view of Los Angeles covered in smog

Pollution in California relates to the degree of pollution in the air, water, and land of the U.S. state of California. Pollution is defined as the addition of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or any form of energy (such as heat, sound, or radioactivity) to the environment at a faster rate than it can be dispersed, diluted, decomposed, recycled, or stored in some harmless form.[1] The combination of three main factors is the cause of notable unhealthy levels of air pollution in California: the activities of over 39 million people, a mountainous terrain that traps pollution, and a warm climate that helps form ozone and other pollutants.[2] Eight of the ten cities in the US with the highest year-round concentration of particulate matter between 2013 and 2015 were in California, and seven out of the ten cities in the US with the worst ozone pollution were also in California.[3] Studies show that pollutants prevalent in California are linked to several health issues, including asthma, lung cancer, birth complications, and premature death.[4] In 2016, Bakersfield, California recorded the highest level of airborne pollutants of any city in the United States.[5]

The Federal Clean Water Act defines water pollution as "dredge spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, sewage, garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, chemical wastes, biological materials, heat, wrecked or discarded equipment, rock, sand, cellar dirt, and industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste discharged into water."[6] In 2011, an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study showed that water quality standards were not met on 1.6 million acres of California's 3 million acres of lakes, bays, wetlands, and estuaries. The Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act governs the water quality regulation in California.

  1. ^ "Pollution - Definition from the Encyclopedia Britannica". britannica.com. 28 February 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  2. ^ "Air Pollution a Problem in California? (n.d.)". California Air Resources Board. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  3. ^ Schlanger, Zoë (19 April 2017). "California is home to eight of the 10 cities in America where air pollution is worst". Quartz. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  4. ^ Genc, Sermin; et al. (2012). "The Adverse Effects of Air Pollution on the Nervous System". Journal of Toxicology. 2012: 782462. doi:10.1155/2012/782462. PMC 3317189. PMID 22523490.
  5. ^ "Los Angeles and Bakersfield top list of worst air pollution in the nation". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 20 April 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  6. ^ Vernick, Arnold S. (2007). "6.10 Water". Marks’ Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers. McGraw-Hill Education. ISBN 9780071428675. Retrieved 30 July 2022.