What's the State of Your Air?

Populations At Risk
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Total Population:
Children Under 18:
Adults 65 & Over:
Pediatric Asthma:
Adult Asthma:
COPD:
Lung Cancer:
Cardiovascular Disease:
Pregnancy:
Poverty Estimate:
People of Color:

Did You Know?

  1. More than 131 million people live in counties that received an F for either ozone or particle pollution in "State of the Air" 2024.
  2. Particle pollution can cause early death and heart attacks, strokes and emergency room visits.
  3. Policymakers at every level of government must take steps to clean the air their constituents breathe.
  4. You can protect yourself by checking the air quality forecast in your community and avoiding exercising or working outdoors when unhealthy air is expected.
  5. Nearly four in ten people in the U.S. live where the air they breathe earned an F in "State of the Air" 2024.
  6. Climate change enhances conditions for ozone pollution to form and makes it harder clean up communities where ozone levels are high.
  7. People who work or exercise outside face increased risk from the effects of air pollution.
  8. Particle pollution exposure from wildfire smoke harms health in ways that range from mild irritation to serious illness and premature death.
  9. People of color and people with lower incomes are disproportionately affected by air pollution that puts them at higher risk for illness.
  10. If you live or work near a busy highway, traffic pollution may put you at greater risk of health harm.
  11. Air pollution is a serious health threat. It can trigger asthma attacks, harm lung development in children, and even be deadly.
  12. Recent updates to the Air Quality Index give the public more accurate information about the health risk from air pollution, and when to take measures to protect themselves on bad air days.
  13. Climate change increases the risk of wildfires whose smoke spreads dangerous particle pollution.
  14. Ozone and particle pollution are both linked to increased risk of premature birth and lower birth weight in newborns.
  15. Particles in air pollution can be smaller than 1/30th the diameter of a human hair. When you inhale them, they are small enough to get past the body's natural defenses.
  16. The nation has the Clean Air Act to thank for decades of improvements in air quality. This landmark law has successfully driven pollution reduction for over 50 years.
  17. Millions of people are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution, including children, older adults and people with lung diseases such as asthma and COPD.
  18. Breathing ozone irritates the lungs, resulting in inflammation—as if your lungs had a bad sunburn.
  19. Breathing in particle pollution can increase the risk of lung cancer.
  20. Nearly 44 million people live in counties that got an F for all three air pollution measures in "State of the Air" 2024.
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