One-Third of Americans Exposed to Dangerous Levels of Soot and Smog

Los Angeles smog
Smog in Los Angeles. Maik Mitschke / EyeEm / 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.

People of color are far more likely to breathe heavily polluted air than white people, the American Lung Association’s 2023 State of the Air report shows.

Almost 120 million people in the U.S. (more than one-third of the population) live in areas with failing grades for ozone and particulate pollution. Air pollution is largely caused by the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels, especially from vehicles and power plants.

Centuries of systemic racism and decades of racist housing and environmental policies result in people of color making up 54% of the population of counties receiving failing grades for air quality — that means people of color are nearly four times more likely to live in a county with the highest air pollution levels than white people. Air pollution is also worse in the West due to pollution released and spread by wildfires. 

For a Deeper Dive

SOTA report: CNNThe GuardianInside Climate NewsWashington PostAxiosWall Street JournalThe Hill; Los Angeles: LA Times; Fresno: Fresno Bee; California: KGET; Allegheny County, PA: Lancaster Farming; Lehigh Valley, PA: WFMZ; Pittsburgh, PA: WESA; Atlanta metro: Georgia Public Broadcasting; WV-OH-KY: WOWK, Jackson, MS: WJTV

For more climate change and clean energy news, you can follow Climate Nexus on Twitter and Facebook, sign up for daily Hot News, and visit their news site, Nexus Media News.

Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

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

    Read More

    Biden Admin Takes ‘Long Overdue’ Steps to Limit Methane Emissions From Drilling on Public and Tribal Lands
    The United States Department of the Interior has announced a
    By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
    ‘Climate Change Is Changing the Geography of Wine,’ Study Finds
    More heat waves and unpredictable rainfall could destroy vineyards from
    By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
    $1 Trillion Worth of Food Is Wasted Globally per Year, UN Report Finds
    The UN’s latest Food Waste Index Report, compiled in collaboration
    By Paige Bennett

    Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

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

      Latest Articles