EcoWatch
Facebook 558k Twitter 222k Instagram 52k Subscribe Subscribe
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Conservation
  • Food + Agriculture
  • Renewables
  • Oceans
  • Policy
  • Insights + Opinion
  • Go Solar Today
      • Top Companies By State
        • California Solar Companies
        • Texas Solar Companies
        • New York Solar Companies
        • Florida Solar Companies
        • See All States
      • Top Incentives By State
        • California Solar Incentives
        • Texas Solar Incentives
        • New York Solar Incentives
        • Florida Solar Incentives
        • See All States
      • Solar Panel Costs By State
        • Solar Panel Costs in California
        • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
        • Solar Panel Costs in New York
        • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
        • See All States
      • Value of Solar by State
        • Is Solar Worth It In California?
        • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
        • Is Solar Worth It New York?
        • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
        • See All States
      • Company Reviews
        • Tesla Solar Review
        • Sunrun Solar Review
        • SunPower Solar Review
        • Vivint Solar Review
        • See All Companies
      • Common Solar Questions
        • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
        • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
        • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
        • Can You Finance Solar?
        • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
        • Payback On Solar Panels?
      • Solar Resources
        • Interactive Solar Calculator
        • Federal Solar Tax Credit
        • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
        • Tesla Solar Roof Review
        • Cheapest Solar Panels
      • Companies Compared
        • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs SunPower
        • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
        • SunPower vs ADT Solar
EcoWatch
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Conservation
  • Food + Agriculture
  • Renewables
  • Oceans
  • Policy
  • Insights + Opinion
  • Go Solar Today
    • Go Solar Today
    • Top Companies By State
      • California Solar Companies
      • Texas Solar Companies
      • New York Solar Companies
      • Florida Solar Companies
      • See All States
    • Top Incentives By State
      • California Solar Incentives
      • Texas Solar Incentives
      • New York Solar Incentives
      • Florida Solar Incentives
      • See All States
    • Solar Panel Costs By State
      • Solar Panel Costs in California
      • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
      • Solar Panel Costs in New York
      • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
      • See All States
    • Value of Solar by State
      • Is Solar Worth It In California?
      • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
      • Is Solar Worth It New York?
      • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
      • See All States
    • Company Reviews
      • Tesla Solar Review
      • Sunrun Solar Review
      • SunPower Solar Review
      • Vivint Solar Review
      • See All Companies
    • Common Solar Questions
      • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
      • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
      • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
      • Can You Finance Solar?
      • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
      • Payback On Solar Panels?
    • Solar Resources
      • Interactive Solar Calculator
      • Federal Solar Tax Credit
      • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
      • Tesla Solar Roof Review
      • Cheapest Solar Panels
    • Companies Compared
      • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs SunPower
      • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
      • SunPower vs ADT Solar

The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 558k Twitter 222k Instagram 52k
    EcoWatch
    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 558k Twitter 222k Instagram 52k
    Home Pollution

    Nearly Half of U.S. Population Breathes Unhealthy Air, American Lung Association Warns

    By: Paige Bennett
    Published: April 23, 2025
    Edited by Chris McDermott
    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon
    Aerial drone view looking across the Kanawha River from a parking lot with school buses in Poca, West Virginia towards a coal-fired power plant on the opposite shore in the town of Winfield in Putnam County.
    A view across the Kanawha River from a parking lot with school buses in Poca, West Virginia towards a coal-fired power plant on the opposite shore in the town of Winfield in Putnam County. halbergman / E+ / Getty Images
    Why you can trust us

    Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

    In its latest State of the Air report for 2025, the American Lung Association (ALA) is warning that nearly half of all Americans are breathing in unhealthy levels of air pollution.

    One of the biggest takeaways of this year’s report is that 156.1 million people, or about 46% of the U.S. population, live in areas with unhealthy ozone or particle pollution levels. That means about 25 million more people are exposed to these pollutants compared to the previous report.

    Some of the biggest factors behind the increase include worsening droughts, heat waves and wildfires, according to the ALA.

    “Families across the U.S. are dealing with the health impacts of air pollution every day, and extreme heat and wildfires are making it worse,” Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the ALA, said in a press release. “Air pollution is causing kids to have asthma attacks, making people who work outdoors sick, and leading to low birth weight in babies. This year’s report shows the dramatic impact that air pollution has on a growing number of people.”

    Based on the findings, people of color are experiencing the greatest burden from high levels of air pollution. Of the total number of people living in a county with at least one failing grade for air pollutant levels, people of color make up 50.2%, despite people of color comprising 41.2% of the total U.S. population. According to the findings, Hispanic individuals are about three times more likely to live in a community with at least three failing grades compared to white individuals.

    The report also listed the nation’s most- and least-polluted cities. Bakersfield-Delano, California led in both the categories of highest short-term ozone and year-round fine particulate matter pollutants (PM2.5), while Los Angeles-Long Beach, California topped the list for highest ozone pollution.

    Only two cities this year (compared to five last year), achieved the highest possible marks for all three metrics — Bangor, Maine and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

    In a separate study released this week, researchers from Pennsylvania State University’s (Penn State) College of Health and Human Development found that more than 50 million people in the U.S. live in counties that lack air quality monitoring sites. This could mean that millions more people are exposed to air pollution without knowing it, leaving people vulnerable to the effects of poor air quality.

    “Air pollution affects everyone’s health, so it is important for everyone in the nation to have access to accurate information about the quality of the air they breathe,” Nelson Roque, lead author of the Penn State study, said in a statement. “Where we don’t collect data, the threat and impact of pollution are invisible.”

    Yet while millions of people in the U.S. lack active air quality monitoring services and even more Americans are exposed to air pollution, the current administration could further threaten public and environmental health with massive cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Inside Climate News reported. 

    In response, the latest report from the American Lung Association included calls for public support of the EPA and the agency’s enforcement of the Clean Air Act.

    “The EPA is a necessity,” said Dr. Afif El-Hasan, a pediatrician in Southern California and a member of ALA’s board of directors, as reported by Inside Climate News. “It is actually part of the health care system and should be treated accordingly.”

    The ALA is urging Americans to contact their representatives to take action against EPA staff cuts and has created an email form for convenient submissions.

    “Even as more people are breathing unhealthy air, the federal staff, programs and policies that are supposed to be cleaning up pollution are facing rollbacks, restructuring and funding challenges,” Wimmer said. “For decades, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has worked to ensure people have clean air to breathe, from providing trustworthy air quality forecasts to making sure polluters who violate the law clean up. Efforts to slash staff, funding and programs at EPA are leaving families even more vulnerable to harmful air pollution. We need to protect EPA.”

    Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

      By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, and to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

      Paige Bennett

      Based in Los Angeles, Paige is a writer who is passionate about sustainability. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Ohio University and holds a certificate in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. She also specialized in sustainable agriculture while pursuing her undergraduate degree.
      Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

      Read More

      River Testing by Anglers in England and Wales Reveals Phosphate ‘Crisis’
      Testing of English and Welsh rivers by volunteers from angling
      By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
      Trump’s New Section of Border Wall Will Threaten Rare Wildlife in Arizona’s San Rafael Valley
      President Donald Trump is building a new section of the
      By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
      World’s Biggest Polluters Least Impacted by Conflict and Environmental Damage: Study
      The world’s biggest polluters are also the most protected from
      By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes

      Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

        By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, and to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

        Latest Articles

        • River Testing by Anglers in England and Wales Reveals Phosphate ‘Crisis’
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 20, 2025
        • Trump’s New Section of Border Wall Will Threaten Rare Wildlife in Arizona’s San Rafael Valley
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 19, 2025
        • Illegal Bird Killings Continue Despite Prevention Pledges: Report
          by Paige Bennett
          May 19, 2025
        • World’s Biggest Polluters Least Impacted by Conflict and Environmental Damage: Study
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 19, 2025
        • Iroquois Valley: Investing in Farmers Transitioning to Organic, Regenerative Agriculture
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 16, 2025
        • Global Hunger Rises for 6th Consecutive Year in a ‘World Dangerously off Course’: UN Report
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 16, 2025
        • Low River Levels in UK Raise Concerns of Drought
          by Paige Bennett
          May 16, 2025
        • Record Number of River Barriers Removed in Europe in 2024: Report
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 16, 2025
        EcoWatch

        The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

          • Climate Climate
          • Animals Animals
          • Health + Wellness Health + Wellness
          • Insights + Opinion Insights + Opinion
          • Adventure Adventure
          • Oceans Oceans
          • Business Business
          • Solar Solar
          • About EcoWatch
          • Contact EcoWatch
          • EcoWatch Reviews
          • Terms of Use
          • Privacy Policy
          • Learn About Solar Energy
          • Learn About Deregulated Energy
          • EcoWatch UK
          Follow Us
          Facebook 558k
          Twitter 222k
          Instagram 52k
          Subscribe Subscribe

          Experts for a healthier planet and life.

          Mentioned by:
          Learn more
          • Privacy Policy
          • Terms of Use
          • Cookie Preferences
          • Do Not Sell My Information
          © 2025 EcoWatch. All Rights Reserved.

          Advertiser Disclosure

          Our editorial team is committed to creating independent and objective content focused on helping our readers make informed decisions. To help support these efforts we receive compensation from companies that advertise with us.

          The compensation we receive from these companies may impact how and where products appear on this site. This compensation does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides within our content. We do not include all companies, products or offers that may be available.