New Report: Georgia Children Are Breathing Some of the Dirtiest Air in the Country

Today, the American Lung Association released its 27th annual “State of the Air” report, which finds nearly half of the children in the U.S. are breathing unhealthy levels of air pollution, including more than 944,000 kids in Georgia. The report also finds the air quality in the Greater Atlanta area worsened slightly, and residents are being exposed to more unhealthy ozone pollution. The metro area was named the 43rd most polluted in the nation for ozone pollution and received an F grade. The metro area also received a failing grade for year-round particle pollution and is ranked 38th worst in the nation.

The Lung Association’s “State of the Air” report analyzes air quality data from 2022-2024 to grade counties on unhealthy levels of ozone (smog) and particle pollution (soot) and ranks counties and metro areas among the cleanest and most polluted. Both pollutants are linked to premature death and serious health impacts, including asthma attacks, heart disease, stroke, preterm birth, cognitive impairment, and lung cancer. 

For the Greater Atlanta area, the report finds: 

• Ground-level Ozone Pollution in the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs metro area:
  • National Ranking: 43rd out of 226 (48th worst in 2025 report)
  • Number of Unhealthy Days Per Year: 6.2 days per year (5.5 days per year in 2025 report)
  • Grade: F, Fulton County worst in metro area (F in 2025 report)
• Short-term Particle Pollution in the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs metro area:
  • National Ranking: 122nd worst out of 224 (114th worst in 2025 report)
  • Number of Unhealthy Days Per Year: 1.3 days per year (1.7 days per year in 2025 report)
  • Grade: C, Clarke and Gwinnett counties worst in metro area (C in 2025 report)
• Year-Round Average Level of Particle Pollution in the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs metro area:
  • National Ranking: 38th worst out of 211 (34th worst in 2025 report)
  • Grade: Failing grade, pollution levels above the federal standard

Nationally, the report found that 33.5 million children in the U.S., or 46% of people under 18 years old, live in an area that received a failing grade for at least one measure of air pollution. In total, 44% of people of all ages in the U.S. (152 million people in total) live in a county that received a failing grade for at least one measure of air pollution. 32.9 million people live in counties with failing grades for all three measures.

Infants, children and teens as a group are more susceptible to the health impacts of air pollution. Their lungs are still developing; they breathe more air for their body size than adults and they are frequently exposed to outdoor air. Air pollution exposure in childhood can cause long-term harm, including reduced lung growth, new asthma cases and increased risk of respiratory diseases.

“Clean air is essential to the health and wellbeing of families across Georgia. Children deserve to breathe air that won’t make them sick,” said Danna Thompson, director of advocacy for the American Lung Association. “Unfortunately, too many people in the Atlanta metro area are living with unhealthy levels of ozone pollution. This air pollution is causing kids to have asthma attacks, contributing to chronic health conditions, and making people who work outdoors sick.” 

Thompson added: “To compound the issue further, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rollbacks of critical healthy air rules are impacting our residents. We urge Georgia policymakers to take action to improve our air quality, and we are calling on everyone to tell the EPA that our kids’ health counts.”

Other notable findings across Georgia include: 

• Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metro area ranked among the nation’s cleanest cities for ozone pollution, earning an A grade. The metro area ranked 180th worst nationally for short-term particle pollution and earned a B grade. For year-round particle pollution, the metro area is ranked 41st nationally and received a failing grade. 
• Columbus-Auburn-Opelika, GA-AL metro area ranked 143rd worst nationally for ozone pollution, earning a B grade. The area ranked 46th worst in the nation for short-term particle pollution and received an F grade. For year-round particle pollution the metro area ranked 31st worst nationally and received a failing grade. 
• Macon-Bibb County-Warner Robins, GA metro area ranks 135th worst nationally for ozone pollution with a C grade and 128th worst for short-term particle pollution, also a C grade. The area received a failing grade for year-round particle pollution, ranking 45th worst in the nation.

The Lung Association is calling on everyone to urge the EPA to value the health of America’s kids. Historically, the EPA has played an essential role in protecting people’s health from air pollution. The current EPA has retreated from its public health foundation by rolling back clean air protections. This EPA has also taken the recent step of eliminating health-related information from its economic analyses, meaning that the costs of pollution to kids, families and communities will not be counted as policies are undone. The EPA must not devalue kids’ health.

See the full report results and take action at Lung.org/sota.