Portland: One of the worst 15 places to breathe in America

More bad air news for Portland. The cancer risk for breathing in Portland is 7th worst in the nation, out of 3,000 counties. Only in New York and Southern California is the air more carcinogenic. The risk is small, but very real. Portland’s air is capable of causing more than 300 extra cancers among its 600,000 population, as measured over a lifetime of 70 years.

The risk to your brain and nervous system in Portland is 14th worst nationally. And the risk to your lungs is worse in Portland than everywhere else in the US.

This data is based on the EPA’s National Air Toxic Assessment (NATA) released last year.

Total cancer risk:
County, State
1. Manhattan, New York
2. Bronx, New York
3. Los Angeles, California
4. Kings, New York
5. Orange, California
6. Kern, California
7. Multnomah, Oregon
8. Hudson, New Jersey
9. Queens, New York
10. Richmond City, Virginia
11. San Francisco, California
12. Denver, Colorado
13. Washington, D.C.
14. Arlington, Virginia
15. Brooke, West Virginia

Total Neurological risk:

1. Henry, Tennessee
2. Washington, Ohio
3. Cheatham, Tennessee
4. Coahoma, Mississippi
5. Morgan, Ohio
6. Wood, West Virginia
7. Lee, Iowa
8. Lawrence, Ohio
9. Boyd, Kentucky
10. Noble, Ohio
11. Humphreys, Tennessee
12. Greenup, Kentucky
13. Athens, Ohio
14. Multnomah, Oregon
15. Pleasants, West Virginia

Total Respiratory Risk.

1. Multnomah, Oregon
2. Manhattan, New York
3. Thomas, Georgia
4. Leon, Florida
5. Washington, Oregon
6. Wasco, Oregon
7. Columbia, Florida
8. Bronx, New York
9. Decatur, Georgia
10. Jefferson, Florida
11. Kings, New York
12. Bullock, Alabama
13. Josephine, Oregon
14. Wakulla, Florida
15. Clackamas, Oregon