Report Reveals Almost Half of Americans Now Breathe Hazardous Air

(MENAFN) A new report reveals that almost 156 million Americans – nearly half of the U.S. population – are living in regions with hazardous air quality, marking a troubling rise of 25 million from the previous year.

The American Lung Association’s latest State of the Air report, based on data from 2021 to 2023, highlights a significant increase in both ozone and fine particulate pollution nationwide. The report also found that 85 million people reside in areas with failing year-round soot levels.

Short-term particle pollution has reached its highest levels in 16 years, affecting over 77 million Americans.

"These particles are incredibly tiny – a fraction of the width of a human hair – and they’re getting into people’s lungs and bloodstreams," stated Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, a pulmonary expert at Johns Hopkins Medicine and volunteer with the American Lung Association.

"As a lung doctor, I don’t have any medication that can really offset that. For pollution, we rely on good policies and legislation to protect lung health," he stated.

The report identifies the most polluted areas for year-round particle exposure as including cities like Bakersfield, Visalia, and Fresno in California, as well as major metropolitan areas such as Detroit, Houston, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Los Angeles-Long Beach leads the nation in ozone pollution, earning the top spot for an unprecedented 25th time.

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