Nearly Half Of Americans Breathing Unsafe Levels Of Air Pollutants – Report

"American Lung Association’s study says almost 156 million people live in areas with unhealthy levels of soot or smog"

"Almost half of Americans are breathing in dangerous levels of air pollutants, a new report shows, a rise compared with a year ago and likely to further increase in coming years thanks to the climate crisis and the Trump administration’s sweeping environmental rollbacks.

Just over 156 million people live in neighborhoods with unhealthy levels of soot or smog – a 16% rise compared with last year and the highest number in a decade, according to the American Lung Association (ALA) annual state of the air report.

Soot and smog can cause premature death and increase the risk of an array of serious medical conditions such as asthma attacks, heart attacks and strokes, preterm births and impaired cognitive functioning in later life. Particle pollution also increases the risk of lung cancer.

Both pollutants are made worse by heat waves and wildfires – extreme weather events getting more intense and widespread due to human-made global heating."

Nina Lakhani reports for the Guardian April 23, 2025.

"Air Pollution Still Plagues Nearly Half Of Americans. That Does A Number On Our Health" (NPR)

Environmental Justice