Nearly half of Americans live in places with failing grades for air pollution, report says

Almost half of U.S. residents are exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollution, new report says. These are the areas that got an "F"

A new report on air quality across the U.S. offers a cloudy prognosis on the long-term health of about 156 million residents who live in areas that received an "F" in smog and soot pollution.

Smog in San Diego County eighth worst in U.S. says American Lung Association

Traffic on San Diego freeways. (File photo courtesy of SANDAG Five parts of California, including San Diego County, were listed among the top 10 for smog in the U.S. by the American Lung Association in a report released Wednesday. The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad region came in eighth smoggiest. Visalia placed second, Bakersfield-Delano third and Fresno-Hanford-Corcoran fifth. The Los Angeles-Long Beach, not surprisingly, ranked tops for smog …

Nearly Half of U.S. Population Breathes Unhealthy Air, American Lung Association Warns

In its latest State of the Air report for 2025, the American Lung Association (ALA) is warning that nearly half of all Americans are breathing in unhealthy levels of air pollution. One of the biggest takeaways of this year’s report is that 156.1 million people, or about 46% of the U.S. population, live in areas with unhealthy ozone or particle pollution levels. That means about 25 million more people are exposed to these pollutants compared to t…

The 10 Worst US Cities For Air Pollution - Videos from The Weather Channel

Nearly 156 million Americans—including those in Bakersfield, Fresno, Visalia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, Cleveland, Houston, Fairbanks, and Eugene—are now living with dangerous levels of air pollution, according to the State of the Air 2025 report. The American Lung Association warns that extreme wildfires, drought, and rising heat are driving year-round particle pollution to record highs, putting millions at greater risk for lung dise…

Report: Wildfire smoke worsening eastern Mass. air quality

Increasingly common wildfire smoke has contributed to worsening air quality in Massachusetts, according to a new report that suggests the unhealthy ozone and particle pollution levels are substantially raising health risks for Bay Staters. The newly-released annual report from the American Lung Association (ALA) found that 156 million people, or 46% of the U.S. population, are living in areas that received a failing grade for at least one measur…

Air pollution still plagues nearly half of Americans. That does a number on our health

Despite improvements in air quality in past decades, 156 million Americans still breathe in too much soot or ozone, says the annual State of the Air report from the American Lung Association.