New Report: Nearly 270K North Carolina Kids are Breathing Dirty Air

Today, the American Lung Association released its 27th annual “State of the Air” report, which finds that nearly half of the children in the U.S. are breathing unhealthy levels of air pollution, including 269,794 kids in North Carolina. The report also finds that air quality in the Greater Charlotte area has worsened, and residents are being exposed to more unhealthy ozone pollution. The metro area was named 69th most polluted in the nation for ozone pollution and received an F grade. 

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 Charlotte area, the report finds:

• Ground-level Ozone Pollution in the Charlotte-Concord metro area:
  • National Ranking: 69th out of 226 (79th worst in 2025 report)
  • Number of Unhealthy Days Per Year: 3.8 days per year (2.7 days per year in 2025 report)
  • Grade: F, Mecklenburg County, worst in metro area (D in 2025 report)
• Short-term Particle Pollution in the Charlotte-Concord metro area:
  • National Ranking: 137th worst out of 224 (125th worst in 2025 report)
  • Number of Unhealthy Days Per Year: 1 day per year (1.3 days per year in 2025 report)
  • Grade: C, Catawba, Mecklenburg, and Rowan counties worst in metro area (C in 2025 report)
• Year-Round Average Level of Particle Pollution in the Charlotte-Concord metro area:
  • National Ranking: 45th worst out of 211 (59th worst in 2025 report)
  • Grade: Failing grade, pollution levels above the federal standard, Mecklenburg County, worst in region

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 North Carolina. 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 Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC 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 North Carolina policymakers to take action to improve our air quality, and we are calling on everyone to tell EPA that our kids’ health counts.”

Other notable findings across North Carolina include: 

• Raleigh-Durham-Cary metro area ranks 143rd worst nationally for ozone pollution, earning a B grade. The metro area ranks 106th worst in the nation for short-term particle pollution and received a C grade, and for year-round particle pollution the area received a passing grade. 
• Fayetteville-Lumberton-Pinehurst metro area ranks 169th worst in the nation for ozone pollution, earning a B grade. The metro area ranks 154th worst nationally for short-term particle pollution and received a B grade. The area is ranked 88th worst in the nation for year-round particle pollution and received a passing grade.
• Asheville-Waynesville-Brevard metro area ranks 110th worst in the nation for ozone pollution and earned a C grade. The metro area is ranked among the nation’s cleanest cities for short-term particle pollution and received an A grade. The area ranks 190th worst nationally (tied for 21st best among the nation's cleanest cities).
• Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point metro area ranks 100th worst nationally for ozone pollution, earning a C grade. The metro area ranks 76th worst nationally for short-term particle pollution and received a D grade. The area is ranked 62nd worst in the nation for year-round particle pollution and received a passing grade. 

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.