Central Va. gets passing and failing grades in air quality report

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WTVR) - The American Lung Association handed out a wide range of grades to Central Virginia in its State of the Air 2012 report.

The association gave Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico Counties an "F" in the category of High Ozone Days.

However  Chesterfield received an "A" for particle pollution. Henrico received a "B" in that same category. The American Lung Association gave Hanover a "DNC," which means there is no monitor collecting data in Hanover.

The America Lung Association said air quality in the country's most polluted cities is the cleanest its been since the association started publishing its report 13 years ago.

“State of the Air shows that we’re making real and steady progress in cutting dangerous pollution from the air we breathe,” said Charles D. Connor, American Lung Association President and CEO in a statement

The Northern Virginia-Washington-Baltimore area ranked as among the most polluted cities in terms of ozone and short-term particle pollution, according to the American Lung Association.

Santa Fe, N.M., ranked as the cleanest city in the nation.

Click here to see how Virginia counties fared in the report.

This information is from the American Lung Association State of the Air 2012 report:

10 Most Ozone-Polluted Cities

1. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, Calif.
2. Visalia-Porterville, Calif.
3. Bakersfield-Delano, Calif.
4. Fresno-Madera, Calif.
5. Hanford-Corcoran, Calif.
6. Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Yuba City, Calif.-Nev.
7. San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, Calif.
8. Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, Texas
9. San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, Calif.
10. Merced, Calif.

10 Cities Most Polluted by Year-Round Particle Pollution (Annual PM2.5)

1. Bakersfield-Delano, Calif.
2. Hanford-Corcoran, Calif.
3. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, Calif.
4. Visalia-Porterville, Calif.
5. Fresno-Madera, Calif.
6. Pittsburgh-New Castle, Pa.
7. Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, Ariz.
8. Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, Ohio-Ky.-Ind.
9. Louisville-Jefferson County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, Ky.-Ind.
10. Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, Pa.-N.J.-Del.-Md.
11. St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, Mo.-Ill.

10 Cities Most Polluted by Short-Term Particle Pollution (24-hour PM2.5)

1. Bakersfield-Delano, Calif.
2. Fresno-Madera, Calif.
3. Hanford-Corcoran, Calif.
4. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, Calif.
5. Modesto, Calif.
6. Pittsburgh-New Castle, Pa.
7. Salt Lake City-Ogden-Clearfield, UT
8. Logan, UT-ID
9. Fairbanks, Alaska
10. Merced, Calif.