The American Lung Association’s ‘State of the Air’ 2025 Report is out, and one of its most startling conclusions is that about 44% of Americans, or 152.3 million people, are living in places with unhealthy levels of ozone or particulate pollution. The report focuses mainly on those two types of pollution: particulate matter (specifically PM 2.5) and ozone. The report is an annual one that began in 2000.
The report stresses that
ozone and particulate levels vary considerably across regions and that some
regions are much more vulnerable to these types of pollution due to things like
weather inversions keeping the air closer to the ground for longer periods.
Variable wind speeds and directions also affect air pollution exposure. The
report notes that there is an environmental justice component to the issue
since more “people of color” are exposed (54%) than their percentage of the
population (42%). The report also notes that wildfires contribute significantly
to particulate pollution, as well as pollution from NOx, VOCs, and more, especially as prevailing weather patterns disperse them over different nearby
regions.
The map below shows which states gained and lost emissions and by how much. The West, especially California, consistently has the worst air quality from these pollutants.
The report provides lots of
information about how ozone is formed by sunlight reacting with NOx and VOCs,
and how ozone and particulate pollution affect human health. Children, the
elderly, pregnant mothers, and people with health issues are the most at risk.
The report recommends more staff, funding, and enforcement actions for air
pollution regulation and enforcement.
The report tabulates data for
selected counties in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. That data includes
instances of high-ozone days and high particulate pollution days. The graphs below show the cities in the U.S. most polluted by ozone, daily PM, and annual PM, respectively.
The graph below shows that the number of days of unhealthy particulate pollution continues to rise. This is concerning.
The report notes its
objectives below, as well as the Air Quality Index (AGI) grading system and the
report’s county grading system.
“For this report, the objective was to identify the number
of days that 8-hour daily maximum concentrations in each county occurred within
the defined ranges. This approach provided an indication of the level of
pollution for all monitored days, not just those days that fell under the
requirements for attaining the national ambient air quality standards.
Therefore, no data capture criteria were applied to eliminate monitoring sites
or to require a number of valid days for the ozone season.”
References:
Key
Findings: Learn the key findings and overall air quality trends in the American
Lung Association's latest "State of the Air" report. American Lung
Association. 2026. Key Findings | State of the Air |
American Lung Association
State
of the Air. 2025 Report. American Lung Association. 2026. State-of-the-Air-2025.pdf
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