Downey gets 'F' grade from American Lung Association

DOWNEY — Downey has been issued a failing grade by the American Lung Association for its efforts — or lack thereof — to curb tobacco use in the community. 

The lung association graded every California city as part of its “State of Tobacco Control” annual report, released Wednesday. 

Downey received an “F” grade along with other local cities, including Whittier and Norwalk. 

Huntington Park, which has extensive regulations on the books that limit where cigarettes can be smoked within city limits, received an “A.”

“The purpose of the [report] is to increase public knowledge about local laws that protect residents from the deadly toll of tobacco and to encourage local leadership to take action where improvement is needed,” the association wrote in the report. 

“Local elected officials can, and should, take steps to protect residents from tobacco and secondhand smoke.”

Tobacco remains the nation’s leading cause of preventable death and disease, killing an estimated 480,000 people each year, according to the report.