American Lung Association's 25th annual report
finds that 131 million people in the U.S. are exposed to unhealthy
levels of air pollution
CHICAGO, April 24,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Lung
Association's new "State of the Air" report reveals that
spikes in deadly particle pollution are the most severe they've
been in the history of the report. According to the new report,
people in the U.S. experienced the most days with "very unhealthy"
and "hazardous" air quality due to particle pollution in 25 years.
In total, the report finds that 131 million people (39%) are living
in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution.
The Lung Association's 25th annual "State of the Air"
report grades exposure to unhealthy levels of ground-level ozone
air pollution (also known as smog) and short-term spikes and annual
average of particle pollution (also known as soot) over a
three-year period. This year's report includes the most recent
quality-assured air quality data from 2020-2022 and is updated to
reflect the new annual particle pollution standard that the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized in February 2024.
"We have seen impressive progress in cleaning up air pollution
over the last 25 years, thanks in large part to the Clean Air Act.
However, when we started this report, our team never imagined that
25 years in the future, more than 130 million people would still be
breathing unhealthy air," said Harold
Wimmer, President and CEO of the American Lung Association.
"Climate change is causing more dangerous air pollution. Every day
that there are unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution
means that someone – a child, grandparent, uncle or mother –
struggles to breathe. We must do more to ensure everyone has clean
air."
The report found that nearly 4 in 10 people live in an area that
received a failing grade for at least one measure of air pollution.
43.9 million people live in areas with failing grades for all three
measures. People of color are disproportionately exposed to
unhealthy air and are also more likely to be living with one or
more chronic conditions that make them especially vulnerable to air
pollution, including asthma, diabetes and heart disease. The report
found that a person of color in the U.S. is 2.3 times more likely
than a white individual to live in a community with a failing grade
on all three air pollution measures.
Particle Pollution
Fine particulate matter air
pollution, also known as PM2.5, particle pollution
or soot, can be deadly. These particles come from wildfires,
wood-burning stoves, coal-fired power plants, diesel engines and
other sources. These microscopic particles can trigger asthma
attacks, heart attacks and strokes, and cause lung cancer.
The report has two grades for particle pollution: one for
"short-term" particle pollution, or daily spikes, and one for the
annual average "year-round" level that represents the concentration
of particles in each location.
Short-Term Particle Pollution
Spikes in particle pollution continue to impact communities in many
parts of the country. The report finds that 65 million people lived
in counties that experienced unhealthy spikes in particle
pollution, the highest number reported in 14 years. In the three
years covered by this report, individuals in the U.S. experienced
the highest number of days when particle pollution reached "very
unhealthy" and "hazardous" levels in the 25 years of reporting the
"State of the Air."
Short term particle pollution spikes are a clear example of the
impacts that climate change is having on health. Changing weather
patterns are driving more frequent and severe wildfires, which are
delivering dangerous levels of particle pollution to more
communities.
Top 5 Cities Most Polluted by Short-Term Particle Pollution:
- Bakersfield, CA
- Fresno-Madera-Hanford,
CA
- Fairbanks, AK
- Eugene-Springfield, OR
- Visalia, CA
Year-Round Particle Pollution
More than 90.7 million people live in one of the 119 counties
where year-round particle pollution levels are worse than the new
national air quality limit. This is the largest number in the
report's history. It is an increase of 71.9 million compared to
last year's report. This increase is partly due to EPA's new,
stricter National Ambient Air Quality Standard for the annual
measure of fine particulate matter, finalized in February. The
standard now better reflects the science on health harm and shows
that millions of people are living in areas that have unhealthy
levels of annual particle pollution.
Top 5 Cities Most Polluted by Year-Round Particle Pollution:
- Bakersfield, CA
- Visalia, CA
- Fresno-Madera-Hanford,
CA
- Eugene-Springfield, OR
- San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA
Ozone Pollution
Ground-level ozone pollution is a
powerful respiratory irritant whose effects have been likened to a
sunburn of the lungs. Inhaling ozone can cause shortness of breath,
trigger coughing and asthma attacks and may shorten life. Warmer
temperatures driven by climate change make ozone more likely to
form and harder to clean up.
Although there were exceptions, ozone pollution has generally
improved across the nation. 2.4 million fewer people lived in areas
with unhealthy ozone pollution compared to last year's report, but
more than 100 million people (nearly 30%) still live with unhealthy
ozone pollution. The "State of the Air" report has seen a dramatic
improvement in ozone pollution over the last 25 years. The first
"State of the Air," released in May
2000, reported that 72% of people in the U.S. who lived in
counties with ozone monitors had unhealthy levels of ozone
pollution.
Top 5 Cities Most Polluted by Ozone Pollution:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach,
CA
- Visalia, CA
- Bakersfield, CA
- Fresno-Madera-Hanford,
CA
- Phoenix-Mesa, AZ
Cleanest Cities
The report also recognizes the
nation's cleanest cities. To make the cleanest list for all three
measures, a city must experience no high ozone or particle
pollution days and rank among the 25 cities with the lowest
year-round particle pollution levels.
Cleanest U.S. Cities (listed in alphabetical order):
- Bangor, ME
- Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol,
TN-VA
- Lincoln-Beatrice, NE
- Urban Honolulu, HI
- Wilmington, NC
The 2024 "State of the Air" reports on air quality during the
three years (2020-2022) of the COVID-19 pandemic. While many people
speculated that the changes in behaviors during the pandemic, such
as working from home, would result in improved air quality, this
report shows that poor air quality continued to impact millions of
people during those years. Notably, freight and goods movement on
heavy-duty trucks, by rail and at ports increased significantly in
some regions, adding to increased pollution burdens. In addition,
wildfire smoke presented a major and increasing threat to lung
health during these years.
EPA recently finalized new air pollution rules that will help
clean up particle pollution and address climate change, such as the
updated particle pollution standards, a rule to place stricter
limits on tailpipe emissions from new cars and a rule to clean up
truck pollution. Now, the Lung Association is urging EPA to set
long-overdue stronger national limits on ozone pollution. Stronger
limits would help people protect themselves and drive cleanup of
polluting sources across the country.
See the full report results and sign the petition at
Lung.org/SOTA.
About the American Lung Association
The American Lung
Association is the leading organization working to save lives by
improving lung health and preventing lung disease through
education, advocacy and research. The work of the American Lung
Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat
lung cancer; to champion clean air for all; to improve the quality
of life for those with lung disease and their families; and to
create a tobacco-free future. For more information about the
American Lung Association, which has a 4-star rating from Charity
Navigator and is a Platinum-Level GuideStar Member, call
1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) or visit: Lung.org. To support
the work of the American Lung Association, find a local event at
Lung.org/events.
American Lung Association • 55 W. Wacker
Drive, Suite 1150 • Chicago, IL
60601
1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Ste. 1425 North • Washington, D.C. 20004
1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) Lung.org
CONTACT: Jill Dale
| American Lung Association
P: 312-940-7001E: Jill.Dale@Lung.org
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SOURCE American Lung Association