(AP) For the first time ever, a city outside California has been named the sootiest in the nation.
The American Lung Association says Pittsburgh has taken the title from Los Angeles. Soot is short-term particle pollution and it's one of several factors that the association uses to determine pollution. Los Angeles still rates overall as the most polluted city.
However, the lung association praises L.A. for its clean-air efforts which have resulted in a substantial drop in particle levels. One official says ``it's not that Pittsburgh has gotten worse; it's that Los Angeles has gotten better.'' And if the trend continues, Pittsburgh could take the most-polluted title.
The findings are part of the association's annual ``State of the Air'' report, being released today.
The cleanest cities on the lung association's list, incidentally, are Fargo, North Dakota, and Salinas, California.