Complete Story
 

04/24/2024

Nearly 40 Percent of Americans Breathe Unhealthy Air

Here is why it's getting worse

A rising number of Americans — nearly 2 in 5 — has been living with unhealthy levels of air pollution, while the United States experienced a record number of days between 2020 and 2022 with very unhealthy or hazardous air, according to a new report.

More than 90 million people are living in places where the air quality is worse than a new U.S. standard, the American Lung Association reported Wednesday in its annual State of the Air assessment, which detailed a significant increase based on the stricter national particle pollution standard.

The total includes 72 million people who would not have been counted under the looser federal standard — reflecting the dramatic effect of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new limit, which was announced this year.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.

Printer-Friendly Version