Fresno is typically known for its ugly smog that obscures the view of mountains/hills across the landscape, especially during the winter and summer months. Fresno’s air quality has always had a bad rap, and was even worse during the wildfire outbreaks that occurred. But even during the spring, long past the insane wildfire epidemic, Fresno now officially has the dirtiest air according to a study published by the American Lung Association.
The specific type of pollution is particle pollution, which usually comes from fires. However, the San Joaquin Valley’s air pollution has been for “decades an amalgam of dust, dung and diesel from the region’s suburban sprawl, petrochemical-laden farmland, mega-dairies and big-box warehouses” (Quoted from a Fresno Bee Article).