The American Lung Association has released the 27th edition of its annual “State of the Air” report, revealing that nearly half of children across the United States are exposed to unhealthy air pollution levels. Despite notable improvements in air quality over the past five decades, about 152 million people still live in regions with dangerous concentrations of ozone or particle pollution. Recent policy changes by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which have weakened clean air protections, are expected to increase exposure to harmful pollutants—especially among children.

The report evaluates air quality in counties based on levels of ground-level ozone (commonly known as smog) and both short-term and year-round particle pollution (often called soot), using data collected between 2022 and 2024. It also ranks counties and metro areas from cleanest to most polluted for each category.

Findings show that 33.5 million children—around 46% of those under 18—live in areas that received failing grades for at least one type of air pollution. Over 7 million children (10%) reside in places that failed all three measures.

Young people are particularly vulnerable to air pollution because their lungs are still developing, they inhale more air relative to their body size, and they spend more time outdoors. Exposure during childhood can lead to lasting health effects, including reduced lung development, increased asthma risk, respiratory illnesses, and even cognitive challenges later in life. More broadly, both ozone and particle pollution are linked to severe health outcomes such as premature death, asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, preterm births, and lung cancer.

Harold Wimmer, President and CEO of the American Lung Association, emphasized that clean air requires ongoing effort. While the Clean Air Act has historically improved air quality, he warned that progress is being threatened by climate-related factors like extreme heat and wildfires, along with policy decisions that weaken protections. He called for stronger standards, noting that recent EPA actions have reduced enforcement and rolled back safeguards aimed at limiting pollution from power plants and vehicles. He stressed the importance of clean air for children’s health and community well-being.

Overall, the report indicates that 44% of the U.S. population—about 152 million people—live in counties that failed at least one pollution measure, while 32.9 million people live in areas that failed all three. It also highlights disparities, showing that people of color are more than twice as likely as white individuals to live in areas with failing grades across all pollution metrics. Hispanic communities, in particular, are over three times as likely to face such conditions.

The report also draws attention to the growing number of data centers as a potential contributor to air pollution. Although specific emissions data is not yet available, the increasing reliance on fossil fuel-powered data centers may add to local pollution levels.

The Lung Association urges the public to advocate for stronger protections, emphasizing the EPA’s critical role in safeguarding health. It warns that recent policy shifts, including the removal of health-related considerations from economic analyses, could lead to underestimating the true impact of pollution on children and communities.

Key findings on ozone pollution show that over 129 million people—about 38% of the population—live in counties with failing grades, an increase of nearly 4 million from the previous year. Factors such as extreme heat and wildfire smoke have contributed to worsening ozone levels, particularly across central states and regions stretching from California to Texas.

Regarding particle pollution, 61.5 million people experienced harmful short-term spikes, while 75.9 million lived in areas with unhealthy year-round levels—making it one of the highest figures recorded in the report’s history.

Finally, the report notes a decline in the number of cities with clean air. Only Bangor, Maine met the criteria for cleanest cities across all three pollution measures this year, compared to two cities last year and five in 2024, signaling an overall deterioration in air quality nationwide.

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