International air quality study ranks Columbus as the country’s most-polluted major city

While many might believe Los Angeles, the city known in part for dense smog coverage, would be the most polluted major city in the United States, a new European air quality study has determined that this is not the case.

According to a study from Swiss air quality technology company IQair, Columbus is the most polluted major American city.

The study measured amounts of the lung-damaging particle PM 2.5, and according to its results, Ohio’s Capital City reached concentrations of 13.1 micrograms of PM 2.5 particles per cubic meter last year.

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For reference, Atlanta was the second-most polluted American city, with an average PM 2.5 level of 12.8 micrograms per cubic meter. Chicago (11.8) and Indianapolis (11.3) were the next-highest cities.

When the World Health Organization began measuring air quality in 2005, it deemed an acceptable air quality level to be less than 10 micrograms per cubic meter, a mark that was pushed down to 5 in 2021. Only six countries met this recommendation last year, according to the IQair study.

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