Wyoming Outpaces Los Angeles' Now for Smog!

Wyoming's smog exceeds Los Angeles' due to gas drilling

In this Jan. 22, 2010 photo, antelope graze not far from gas drilling rigs in western Wyoming's Upper Green River Basin, where ozone levels last week exceeded the worst days in major U.S. cities last year. Local residents complain of runny eyes, nosebleeds and shortness of breath and say the air is hazy. Gas industry officials say they're taking steps to reduce air pollution. (AP Photo/Mead Gruver)

Mar 09, 2011 - Rural Wyoming, known for breathtaking vistas, now has worse smog than Los Angeles because of its boom in natural gas drilling.

Residents who live near the gas fields in the state's western corner are complaining of watery eyes, shortness of breath and bloody noses, reports the Associated Press. The cause is clearer than the air: local ozone levels recently exceeded the highest levels recorded in the biggest U.S. cities last year.

Preliminary data show the region's ozone levels last Wednesday got as high as 124 parts per billion, which is two-thirds higher than the Environmental Protection Agency's maximum healthy limit of 75 parts per billion and above the worst day in Los Angeles all last year, 114 parts per billion, AP reports. On March 1, the ozone levels hit 116 parts per billion. {continued}