Due to its immensely small size, it is of great danger to human health when inhaled (as well as being comprised of many different hazardous materials), and as such is used as one of the major components in the calculation of the overall air quality of any given city, state or country. PM2.5 refers to particulate matter that is 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter, sometimes going down to sizes as small as 0.001 microns or less. Observing the data collected over the course of 2020, New Orleans showed several months of the year where the PM2.5 count rose somewhat higher than its yearly average. When is the air quality at its most polluted in New Orleans? These industrial areas often utilize coal as their main fuel source, another contributing factor to the pollution level, as well as these industrial areas releasing their own unique effluence based on whatever chemical materials are being refined or produced. In closing, the numerous industrial areas condensed within New Orleans have lead to a large area of land being dubbed as ‘cancer alley’ (an 85 mile stretch of chemical plants along the banks of the Mississippi River, that runs between New Orleans and Baton Rouge), due to the sheer amount of noxious emissions exuding from there, contributing heavily to the pollution count in the city. These heavy duty vehicles, which include among them trucks and lorries, typically put out even greater amounts of pollution due to their immense size and weight, as well as often running on diesel fuel. As well as this, with its large presence in the petrochemical industry, coupled with the extraction and transportation of oil, there would be a large amount of heavy duty vehicles needed to transport these materials (amongst other goods such as food products or other related industrial items). With a population in the hundreds of thousands, there would be countless amounts of vehicles on the road at any given time, all of which would be giving off various polluting chemicals and hazardous fine particulate matter. Looking at some of the more prominent causes, they would count among them ones such as vehicular emissions and fumes, as well as smoke and other air contaminants released from industrial areas or factories, of which New Orleans has a particularly large amount, condensed into smaller areas. There are a wide variety of different pollution sources present in New Orleans. What are some of the main causes of polluted air in New Orleans? This reading of 9 μg/m³ placed it in 3115 th place out of all cities ranked worldwide, as well as 764 th place out of all cities ranked in the United States. ![]() This is a fairly respectable reading for a yearly average, however there were a couple of months out of the year that came in with considerably higher readings of PM2.5, showing that the city could still do much to improve its air pollution issues, and reduce the amount of health problems that occur amongst the general population. In 2020, New Orleans came in with a PM2.5 reading of 9 μg/m³, a reading that placed it in the World Health Organizations (WHO's)’ target bracket, which requires a PM2.5 reading of any number below 10 μg/m³ to be classified as such. ![]() Whilst these elements serve as important fixtures for major economic growth and movement, they also have a significant effect on the pollution levels, with New Orleans being subject to some dangerous levels of pollution within condensed areas, with many dangerous chemicals found in the air due to large industrial zones pouring out high amounts of pollutants, some of which will be discussed in short. It is counted as the largest city within the state, being home to an estimated 390 thousand people (as of 2019), also serving as a major port city and being both the commercial and economic heart for the entire Gulf Coast region of the United States.īesides having a significant port area (considered one of the largest and busiest in the world), the city also has a strong presence in industries such as oil refining, petrol and chemical production, and natural gas extraction. New Orleans is a city located in the American state of Louisiana, next to the Mississippi River. ![]() ![]() How bad is the air pollution in New Orleans?
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