No Appalachian states in the top 5, though the Washington DC area is fourth. The Appalachian communinty has done amazing things in pulling its resources together and working to reduce pollution since then. In 2002, NC passed the “Clean Smokestacks Act” one of the strongest air quality laws in the country. There were only 5 dissenting votes in the entire General Assembly! NC attorney general Roy Cooper has taken issue with 13 states for sending their pollution into our mountains. The Virginia legislature looked at a Clean Smokestacks bill this session, but it was hijacked by Dominion Power and AEP, which manipulate the Virginia General Assembly at will.

The EPA article took 177 different pollutants.

The EPA assessment evaluated toxins including heavy metals, such as lead; volatile chemicals, such as benzene; combustion byproducts, such as acrolein; and solvents, including perchloroethylene and methylene chloride.

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