Unhealthy Air Affects Over One-Third of Americans Amid Climate Challenges, Report Finds

The American Lung Association (ALA) has released its newest State of the Air report, revealing that over one-third of Americans, or approximately 130 million people, routinely breathe unhealthy air. This number is larger in 2023 than in previous years, despite significant ongoing efforts to improve air quality. The report highlights that climate change is making the job of cleaning the nation's air more challenging.

Hotter temperatures lead to increased ozone formation and can contribute to dustier air. However, the most significant climate-driven pollution challenge comes from wildfire smoke, which has introduced vast quantities of dangerous fine particle pollution into the air. Western states like California and Colorado have found that wildfire smoke is offsetting long-term efforts to clean up pollution from human-controlled industrial sources such as coal-fired power plants and diesel truck exhaust.

The Clean Air Act, passed in 1970, significantly improved the country's air quality. Measures such as adding pollution control to cars, trucks, and fossil fuel-burning power plants have reduced the amount of fine particles in the air. These particles can penetrate deep into people's lungs and cross into the bloodstream, posing a range of chronic and acute health risks.

Between 1990 and 2020, pollution from fine particles dropped by approximately 40% nationwide, with the most noticeable improvements occurring in industrial East Coast cities and states. This year's State of the Air report reiterates that much of the country, particularly the eastern U.S., has seen cleaner air over time due to efforts to control industrial pollution sources.

However, the situation in the West presents a stark contrast. In 2023, the region experienced its most days ever recorded with dangerous or very dangerous air quality, as measured by the Air Quality Index. For the first time in the report's 25-year history, all 25 cities with the worst short-term particle pollution were located in the Western U.S. Both particle pollution and ozone are harmful to people's health, increasing the risk of respiratory issues such as asthma. Fine particle pollution has also been linked to worse heart disease outcomes and the development of dementia.

Bakersfield, California, remains at the top of the report's list as the U.S. city with the worst short-term particle pollution for five years running. This year, the city also ranked highest for year-round particle pollution. Bakersfield is a major site of oil and gas production as well as agriculture, both of which contribute significantly to local pollution.

Air pollution accelerates tens or even hundreds of thousands of premature deaths each year in the U.S. alone and is considered one of the nation's most significant public health risks. Conversely, Bangor, Maine, and Honolulu, Hawaii, have some of the cleanest air in the country.

Despite the overall improvement in air quality in the U.S. since the implementation of Clean Air Act-related regulations, the benefits have not been uniformly distributed. Communities of color and low-income Americans have historically been exposed to dirtier air than wealthier or whiter communities. This disparity continues in 2024, according to the report.

In total, about 130 million Americans live in areas where particle or ozone pollution levels exceed what the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers healthy. Approximately 70 million of these individuals are people of color, who are disproportionately affected by both short and long-term particle pollution and ozone levels.