Are you one of the 1/3 of Americans who live in a smoggy city? Smog -- a heavy, dark fog primarily composed of ozone -- can trigger asthma symptoms, cause coughing, chest pain, wheezing, or even premature death. The top 10 smoggiest cities are:

• Los Angeles, CA. The air quality is slowing improving in LA, but, on average, it still has 90 days per year with unhealthy ozone levels.
• Bakersfield, CA. Bakersfield has an average of 83 days with unhealthy ozone levels each year, as well as other air quality issues.
• Visalia, CA. Lying near Sequoia National Forest, Visalia has an average of 68 high ozone days per year.
• Houston, TX. Nearly 400,000 Houston residents have asthma -- a condition that can be exacerbated by the city's average of 36 unhealthy ozone days per year.
• Fresno, CA. In 2000, Fresno had 87 unhealthy ozone days. Now, the city is averaging only 34 unhealthy ozone days per year -- still high enough to land it in the top 10, but amazing progress.
• Sacramento, CA. The fifth city from California's Central Valley to make the list, Sacramento has an average of 25 unhealthy ozone days per year.
• Dallas, TX. Dallas has an average of 22 unhealthy ozone days per year.
• New York, NY. With such a constant flow of traffic, it's almost surprising that New York doesn't have more than an average of 12 unhealthy ozone days per year.
• Washington DC/Baltimore. Our capitol region has an average of 11 unhealthy ozone days per year.
• Baton Rouge, LA. Baton Rouge averages 11 unhealthy ozone days per year.
  

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Here's some interesting news I learned from The Beauty Brains: Dirty hair might save the environment. Ok, maybe that's stretching it a bit, but dirty hair is at least good for the environment because it absorbs ozone from the air. In fact, dirty hair absorbs seven times as much ozone as clean hair does. And according to scientists, this can help cut the amount of harmful ozone floating around your head. Surprising? I think so.

But, as the brains are quick to point out, this isn't going to save the world or anything. In fact, the ozone in the air can interact with oil in dirty hair to produce other harmful chemicals. Still, washing your hair too often will waste water. Instead? Try to find a balance. Or, just shave your head.

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Does your city have trouble with ozone? Ozone is a pollutant that can cause respiratory problems, and if you're looking for a reason not to take shower today, you just may have found it. Researchers recently learned that greasy, unwashed hair absorbs seven times more ozone than clean hair. While it may not have a huge impact when you're outside on a high-ozone day, researchers said that the difference was big enough to clean up the air quality in your immediate vicinity.

Of course, you may be stuck at home a lot more often, since greasy, unwashed hair isn't going to make you very popular. In addition to that, though, the grease in the hair also reacts with ozone to make a by-product that might not be much better for you than the ozone itself.

So rather than changing your hygiene habits, health experts recommend filtering indoor air if you or someone in your home is elderly or has chronic health conditions.

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Walking outside is my favorite way to exercise, so I was disturbed to read this article about athletes in Bakersfield, CA. Bakersfield sits near the top of the list of the countries most polluted cities, and it's elite outdoor athletes are feeling it. Athletes take in far more air when working out that those who are sedentary and that elevated level of air pollution can have an effect on the heart and lungs. The problem lies not only with ozone, but with fine particulates, which are found in car, truck, and diesel exhaust. The particulates irritate the lungs and work their way into the bloodstream where they can damage the heart.

It's all enough to make you stay inside where it's nice and safe, isn't it? Health experts say you don't have to, but that it might be in your best interest to pay attention to where and when you're working out. Stay off roads with heavy traffic and work out indoors when the air quality is bad. Most states have websites that let you check your air quality index, and if they don't, here's a less specific national map.

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Inhaling chlorine or bleach is harmful to the lungs and heart and has been linked to certain cancers also. So why do most people use it to clean around the house in their kitchens, bathrooms and play areas for their children? It is marketed as the main component in almost all bathroom mildew and mold cleaning products. Cleaning away bacteria and mold does not have to be harmful to your body. Vinegar is not just for salads and soups. It kills bacteria, germs, and mold and is natural. Keep a clean spray bottle filled with straight 5 percent vinegar in your kitchen near your cutting board, and in your bathroom, and use them for cleaning. If you have mold problems, the main mold killer is to prevent moisture from becoming the breeding ground for mold. When you clean the surface of an area in your home, if you use baking soda, it will prevent any mold and mildew from growing. This is because the PH factor in the baking soda is not conducive to mold growth and mold, especially black mold will not grow when it is present. Vinegar is another natural mold killer that you can use. Baking soda and vinegar are also less expensive than all the marketed cleaning supplies. Vinegar is a great window cleaner also. The smell of vinegar dissipates within a few hours.

If you have mold allergies there are some natural and less harmful ways to kill mold. Using a hepa filter or an ozone generator are two combined methods that give you optimum mold fighting abilities and keep you from breathing harmful fumes. You can check out your local hardware stores for ozone generators designed specifically for killing mold.

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