Forbes: Raleigh-Cary among nation's cleanest metros

The Raleigh-Cary area is the nation's third cleanest metropolitan area and has better water than every other major metro, according to the website for financial magazine Forbes.

Forbes.com ranked the 80 largest metro areas in the U.S. for which toxicity data is available and measured their air quality, water quality, the number of nearby Superfund hazardous waste sites and the amount of toxic emissions from industry.

Raleigh-Cary ranked No. 1 in water quality, 24th in Superfund sites and 41st in air quality. According to data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 492,000 pounds of toxic materials were produced in the metro area in 2009.

McAllen, Texas, ranked first overall on the Forbes.com list, followed by Little Rock, Ark. Orlando, Fla., and Las Vegas placed fourth and fifth.