Every child deserves the chance to grow, learn and play while breathing clean air. However, this year’s “State of the Air” report shows that for millions of American families, this basic expectation is not being met. The troubling reality is that nearly half of all kids (46% of people under the age of 18) are living in places with unhealthy levels of air pollution. This suggests that while decades of clean air protections and progress have occurred thanks to the Clean Air Act, today’s children are still at serious and urgent risk from air pollution.
Children are particularly vulnerable to unhealthy air because their bodies and organs are still developing. The harm caused by ozone and particle pollution can affect them both immediately and long-term.
Why Air Pollution Hits Kids Harder
Children’s growing bodies make them more susceptible to air pollution’s negative effects in several ways. Impacts can begin even before birth. Exposure to polluted air during pregnancy can impair fetal growth and increase infant mortality or preterm birth. Early exposures can pave the way for long-term health challenges that extend well into adulthood.
For kids, smaller bodies mean they take in higher doses of pollution for their size with every breath. They breathe faster, often spend more time outdoors and, because they are closer to the ground, are more vulnerable to pollutants like vehicle exhaust and dust. Because children’s lungs, brains and immune systems are still developing, even small amounts of pollution can cause greater harm than it would cause in adults. Polluted air can block small airways, interfere with lung growth, and disrupt normal brain development. Over time, these injuries can limit a child’s ability to learn, play and thrive.
How Air Pollution Causes Chronic Illness
Both short- and long-term air pollution exposure has been linked to a number of health problems in children. It increases the risk of ear, nose, throat and lung infections, which in turn can increase the number of doctor and hospital visits. Research has found that pollution can change how a child’s immune system works, leaving them more vulnerable to illness.
For children with asthma, the risks are even more severe. Unhealthy air can worsen asthma symptoms and trigger asthma flare-ups, leading to missed school days and emergency room visits. According to “State of the Air” 2026, nearly 2.4 million children with asthma live in counties that received an “F” grade for at least one pollutant, and more than half a million children with asthma live in counties failing all three pollution measures.
Finally, long-term exposure is associated with impaired lung function, increased risk of certain cancers, and cognitive effects that can make it harder for children to concentrate and succeed in school.
How Climate Change is Still a Threat for Us All
Even as science continues to strengthen the case for clean air, climate change is making pollution harder to control. The 2026 “State of the Air” report continues a trend we’ve seen in recent reports – climate change is threatening to reverse the progress made toward clean air, and in some parts of the country trends are already reversing.
Today, 152 million people (or 44% of people living in the U.S.) reside in places that receive failing grades for ozone or particle pollution. More than 129 million people live in areas with unhealthy levels of ozone, a key ingredient in smog that makes it harder to breathe and worsens lung disease. And 61.5 million people live with unhealthy levels of short-term particle pollution. Year-round particle pollution, while on the decline, still affects 75.9 million people who live in counties where these levels exceed health standards.
Climate change is a major driver of these trends. Higher temperatures make it easier for ozone to form, while extreme heat often comes with stagnant air that allows pollution to linger and accumulate. Intense droughts and a higher frequency of wildfires release enormous amounts of particle pollution, spreading unhealthy smoke across huge regions. What’s more, wildfire smoke also contains pollution “precursors” that further contribute to smog formation.
For children, this means more days when it’s unsafe to play outside, more missed activities and school days, and greater long-term health risks. These pollution spikes driven by climate change are another reminder that clean air and climate protections must be strengthened—not weakened.
How to Protect Your Kids and Improve Air Quality
While the challenges are serious, there is still reason for hope. Clean air policies work, and we can all take steps to protect our families while also advocating for healthier communities.
On days with poor air quality, families can reduce exposure by checking daily air pollution forecasts at AirNow.gov and limiting time outdoors when pollution levels are high. By learning how to make indoor air cleaner, you can reduce health risks associated with wildfire and other particle pollution events. Conserving energy at home and choosing cleaner transportation options help reduce the pollution that contributes to unhealthy air.
Making Your Voice Heard
"State of the Air” 2026 makes clear that the U.S. is at a crossroads. For more than 55 years, the Clean Air Act made progress by reducing pollution from transportation, industry, power plants and buildings. That work has saved countless lives and helped protect generations of children.
Unfortunately, today those gains are at risk. Recent EPA actions have weakened or delayed clean air safeguards and excluded health costs from its decision‑making. These actions threaten to reverse progress and leave children exposed to more pollution.
One of the most powerful tools is your voice. Sharing real‑life experiences about air pollution—like managing asthma symptoms during smoggy days or keeping children indoors during wildfire smoke—helps policymakers see the real-life impact on communities across the nation. The need for clean air is a universal, nonpartisan concern, and stories from families can influence decisions that shape air quality for years to come.
Every child deserves to breathe clean air. Learn more in our “State of the Air” report.
Blog last updated: April 30, 2026
