April 23, 2025
8 min learn
Key takeaways:
- The 2025 report covers air air pollution between 2021 and 2023.
- The variety of Individuals uncovered to unhealthy particle and ozone air pollution went up.
- The American Lung Affiliation is looking on individuals to save lots of the EPA.
The variety of Individuals respiration unhealthy, polluted air the place they lived between 2021 and 2023 totaled 156 million, which was a 25 million enhance from final yr’s State of the Air report, in line with a press launch.
“In State of the Air 2025, extra individuals in additional elements of the nation are seeing their well being put in danger from unhealthy air air pollution, and fewer individuals in fewer locations live with the cleanest air,” Katherine Pruitt, BA, senior director of nationwide clear air coverage on the American Lung Affiliation, informed Healio.
The American Lung Affiliation’s yearly State of the Air report presents knowledge on air air pollution ranges throughout the U.S., with this yr’s containing data from 2021 to 2023.
Notably, the wildfires in Canada befell in 2023, and analysis has revealed that air pollution from these wildfires negatively impacted Jap U.S. residents’ lungs and hearts.
Since State of the Air studies solely span 3 years, Pruitt informed Healio dropping 2020 air high quality knowledge within the 2025 report was favorable for the West because it was a horrible yr for fires in California, however including 2023 knowledge was damaging for the Midwest, Northeast and Central U.S. because of the Canadian wildfires and excessive warmth.
“We noticed that ranges of each ozone and particle air pollution improved within the West in comparison with newer years, which was excellent news, however the unhealthy information is that there was dramatic worsening of each particle air pollution and ozone in states impacted each by the wildfires from Canada, so all through the higher Midwest and into the Northeast, and the acute warmth additional South within the Central U.S. in Texas and Oklahoma,” Pruitt stated.
In final yr’s report, which lined air high quality in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2022) and carried out the 9 µg/m3 commonplace for tremendous particulate air pollution, 131 million Individuals (39%) have been discovered to breathe unhealthy, polluted air the place they reside.
Particle, ozone air pollution
Taking a more in-depth have a look at the three kinds of air air pollution included on this report, Pruitt informed Healio, “particle air pollution is continuous its decade-long worsening development, and unhealthy ranges of ozone air pollution impacted considerably extra individuals in comparison with latest studies.”
Based on the discharge, this yr’s variety of individuals residing in counties with unhealthy spikes in short-term particle air pollution was the very best seen in 16 years at 77.2 million individuals. Final yr’s quantity was 65 million individuals.
In distinction to earlier studies, the 2025 report integrated the EPA’s 2024 change to the Air High quality Index threshold ranges for 24-hour PM2.5 focus. This yr’s report had probably the most days when particle air pollution ranges have been deemed “unhealthy” with a 24-hour PM2.5 focus of 55.5 µg/m3 to 125.4 µg/m3 (pink days) and “very unhealthy” with a PM2.5 focus of 125.5 µg/m3 to 225.4 µg/m3 (purple days) in 26 years, in line with the discharge.
“The change within the Air High quality Index was performed as a result of we all know extra in regards to the well being impacts of air air pollution at each decrease ends of the size and better ends of the size,” Pruitt informed Healio.
“Days which may have been pink days may be purple days, and purple days may be maroon days [24-hour PM2.5 concentration of 225.5 µg/m3 or higher], however these aren’t actually anticipated, in line with EPA’s personal calculations, to make a giant distinction in most locations, besides in excessive circumstances, like wildfires,” Pruitt added.
Areas with probably the most short-term particle air pollution on this report included Bakersfield-Delano, Visalia and Fresno-Hanford-Corcoran in California; Fairbanks-Faculty in Alaska and Eugene-Springfield in Oregon. Every of those locations additionally made final yr’s checklist.
Switching to year-round particle air pollution, Pruitt and colleagues discovered that 85 million individuals resided in counties that obtained a failing grade for air high quality. This quantity dropped from final yr’s 90.7 million; nevertheless, the discharge stated it “is the second largest quantity within the report’s historical past.”
For this air pollution sort, probably the most polluted metropolis was Bakersfield-Delano. Visalia in California got here in second, Fresno-Hanford-Corcoran additionally in California got here in third, Eugene-Springfield in Oregon got here in fourth and Los Angeles-Lengthy Seashore in California got here in fifth. Notably, final yr’s worst 5 checklist featured 4 of those cities.
For the final assessed air air pollution sort, the discharge stated there was an increase within the variety of individuals uncovered to unhealthy ozone air pollution because the 2024 report by 24.6 million.
The highest 5 cities with probably the most ozone air pollution from this yr’s report included 4 cities in California and one metropolis in Arizona: Los Angeles-Lengthy Seashore, California; Visalia, California; Bakersfield-Delano, California; Phoenix-Mesa, Arizona; and Fresno-Hanford-Corcoran, California. These locations have been additionally highlighted on this rating within the 2024 report.
Much like earlier studies, individuals of colour confronted a better chance of residence in areas with unhealthy air air pollution ranges in contrast with white people.
When it comes to locations with clear air, two cities have been deemed the cleanest on this yr’s report by having no excessive ozone or particle air pollution days (A grades), in addition to the bottom year-round particle air pollution ranges, in line with the discharge: Bangor, Maine, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Bangor was additionally on final yr’s checklist, which included 5 cities.
“The variety of locations that misplaced their A [grade] for both ozone or particle air pollution or each, was actually dramatic this yr,” Pruitt informed Healio.
“Final yr, there have been 50 million individuals residing in locations that received A’s for ozone, and this yr, [there were] solely 25 million individuals residing in locations that received A’s,” Pruitt stated. “For particle air pollution, we went from 49 million individuals in 2024, to fifteen million in 2025, so many, many fewer A’s due to smoke, warmth and the so known as ‘regular’ sources of air air pollution, together with development, extraction of fossil fuels and burning of fossil fuels.”
When decoding the report’s findings, it is very important know that many counties usually are not in a position to monitor for pollution, the American Lung Affiliation stated. On this yr’s report, 922 of three,221 counties had air high quality monitoring knowledge.
“The individuals residing within the counties with out screens are solely about 22% of the inhabitants, so they’re much much less populated areas, however there are sources of air air pollution there, and folks have to learn about that,” Pruitt informed Healio.
The American Lung Affiliation addressed these issues within the “One thing within the Air: Bridging the Air High quality Information Hole with Satellite tv for pc Know-how” report launched in October 2024, by investigating satellite tv for pc expertise for capturing air air pollution knowledge in locations with out regulatory monitor stations.
“We estimated there are a major variety of counties that might have gotten F grades in the event that they’d had screens,” Pruitt informed Healio. “However, we most likely would even have much more cities on the cleanest checklist if these locations have been all monitored as properly as a result of there are many cleaner locations in the USA.”
Reflecting on how monitoring has modified over the course of the State of the Air studies, Pruitt highlighted enhancements to the expertise.
“The variety of screens is fairly just like the 2010 report, however one of many issues that was placing was that the variety of locations that received incomplete grades in 2010 was a lot increased than it’s now, virtually double,” Pruitt informed Healio. “We expect that signifies that the screens are higher expertise, simpler to take care of and simpler to maintain in good working order.”
Who’s in danger
Along with presenting knowledge on air high quality, the State of the Air report attracts consideration to inhabitants teams which are extra inclined to air air pollution and have larger well being dangers linked to air pollution.
Much like final yr’s report, these people embrace individuals of colour, individuals residing in low-income areas, individuals who have a historical past of smoking, youngsters, older adults, pregnant individuals and the unborn, and people with well being circumstances together with bronchial asthma, COPD, diabetes, coronary heart illness and lung most cancers.
Authorities adjustments, taking motion
With latest mass layoffs initiated by HHS and proposed NIH cuts to biomedical analysis, Pruitt emphasised the significance of preserving EPA employees and packages intact.
“The employees and the programming at EPA are clearly underneath risk, and people are crucial jobs and important guidelines,” Pruitt informed Healio.
One key job carried out by EPA employees is supporting the air high quality monitoring community and dealing with varied companies for knowledge assortment, Pruitt stated.
“We use that knowledge in State of the Air, and folks depend on it of their air high quality forecasts and air high quality alerts,” Pruitt stated.
Different notable duties carried out by EPA employees and highlighted by Pruitt embrace overseeing grants associated to air high quality, managing the science on air air pollution and figuring out rule/regulation implementation.
In response to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s plans to provoke 31 actions which will roll again environmental protections to stimulate the economic system introduced in March, Pruitt emphasised that nothing has modified but.
“These 31 guidelines and laws, all of which shield public well being from an vital sector of harmful air air pollution, are nonetheless the legislation of the land,” she stated. “There’s a authorized course of that EPA has to undergo with a view to adjust to the legislation, and we anticipate them to observe the legislation.
“We’re hoping that [the government is] not in a position to do all of the issues that they wish to do to disrupt and roll again the hard-won air air pollution protections that we’ve gained because the starting of the Clear Air Act,” Pruitt added.
When requested how physicians can combat for change and shield the EPA, Pruitt informed Healio they will signal the American Lung Affiliation’s petition to save lots of the EPA, ship a message to Congress independently and make their voices heard the place they reside.
“Well being care suppliers are a really beneficial, trusted messenger in regards to the significance of unpolluted air to their sufferers, but in addition of their communities and to decisionmakers in Congress,” Pruitt stated.
“If you happen to’re residing in a state that’s contemplating constructing electrification, cleaner vehicles or elevated funding in transit, [know that] the voices of physicians affect decisionmakers as a result of decisionmakers do perceive the worth of that voice,” she added.
Because of proposed adjustments in company employees and packages, Pruitt stated she hopes this report demonstrates how essential the EPA is within the combat for cleaner air.
“This yr, we actually are focusing our ask on saving the individuals and mission-critical packages at EPA as a result of, because the American Lung Affiliation says, when you may’t breathe, nothing else issues,” Pruitt informed Healio.
For extra data:
Katherine Pruitt, BA, needs to be contacted by way of Elizabeth Mitchell at elizabeth.mitchell@lung.org.
