120 Million Americans Living in Areas With Failing Air Quality, Potentially Shortening Their Lives: Report

The smokestack of the Wheelabrator Incinerator is seen near Interstate 95 in Baltimore, Maryland, March 09, 2019. - The Wheelabrator Baltimore is a waste-to-energy incinerator located in the Westport neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Eva Claire HAMBACH and EVA HAMBACH / AFP) (Photo credit should read EVA CLAIRE HAMBACH,EVA HAMBACH/AFP via Getty Images)

About one-third of the U.S. population lives in areas exposed to potentially life-shortening levels of air pollution, according to a new report by the American Lung Association (ALA).

The ALA published its 2023 “State of the Air” report on Wednesday, finding that after decades of progress in reducing air pollution, about 36 percent of the U.S. population still lives in areas with “unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution.” In total, about 119.6 million people currently live in areas with failing grades for air quality, which is about 17.6 million fewer people breathing unhealthy air compared to ALA’s 2022 “State of the Air” report.

The ALA warns that poor air quality can expose people to several adverse health effects and shorten their life span.

“Years of scientific research have clearly established that particle pollution and ozone are a threat to human health at every stage of life, increasing the risk of premature birth, causing or worsening lung and heart disease, and shortening lives,” the ALA said. “Some groups of people are more at risk of illness and death than others because they are more likely to be exposed, or are more vulnerable to health harm, or often both.”

The ALA attributed the reduction in the number of people dealing with unhealthy pollution levels to reductions in ozone achieved by the Clean Air Act. However, the ALA said 63.7 million people are exposed to dangerous particle pollution levels, a record high for that type of pollution.

The ALA does note a significant gap in its data collection for the annual “State of the Air” report. Most of the approximately 3,100 counties in the United States are in rural areas that often don’t collect air pollution data. The ALA report includes data from 922 U.S. counties representing nearly 264 million people, or about 79 percent of the U.S. population.

The Most Polluted Cities

The ALA report included lists of the least and most polluted metropolitan areas based on ozone levels and short-term and year-round particle pollution.

The ten metropolitan areas with the worst ozone levels were:

1. Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA
2. Visalia, CA
3. Bakersfield, CA
4. Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA
5. Phoenix-Mesa, AZ
6. Denver-Aurora, CO
7. Sacramento-Roseville, CA
8. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
9. Houston-The Woodlands, TX
10. Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem, UT

Bakersfield, Los Angeles-Long Beach, Visalia, Fresno-Madera-Hanford, and Sacramento-Roseville also ranked in the top ten categories for metro areas with the worst short-term and year-round particle pollution.

The ten cleanest metro areas in terms of ozone levels were:

1. Albany-Schenectady, NY
2. Asheville-Marion-Brevard, NC
3. Bangor, ME
4. Bellingham, WA
5. Blacksburg-Christiansburg, VA
6. Bowling Green-Glasgow, KY
7. Brownsville-Harlingen-Raymondville, TX
8. Brunswick, GA
9. Burlington-South Burlington-Barre, VT
10. Charleston-Huntington-Ashland, WV-OH-KY

Particle Pollution Impacting Western States

The ALA report observed a growing disparity in particle pollution levels in eastern and western states.

When the ALA first added particle pollution findings to its annual “State of the Air” report in 2004, a total of 106 counties in 30 states had failing grades for daily spikes in particle pollution levels, of which 44 counties, fewer than half, were located in eight states west of the Rocky Mountains. In this year’s report, there were 111 counties in 19 states with failing grades for particle pollution levels, and all but eight of those counties were located in western states.

Historically, urban and industrial areas in states in the eastern half of the country, such as New Jersey, New York, and Ohio, were among the worst places for daily spikes in particle pollution early on, but are now getting passing grades on this item.

What the ALA Wants

The ALA shared several recommendations for improving air quality and reducing pollution. Those recommendations included calls for individuals to stop using gas-powered vehicles and appliances and avoid burning wood. At the federal level, the ALA calls for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set increasingly strict emissions standards “that transition the nation’s cars and trucks to zero-emission vehicles.”

Skeptics of phasing out gas-powered vehicles have expressed concerns that regulations to bring about such a transition will disproportionately impact low-income consumers.

Earlier this week, Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin voted for a pair of bills prohibiting state agencies from phasing out the sale of gas-powered vehicles and appliances. Rep. Ellen Schutt, the co-author of those bills, said, “The government should not be forcing individuals to buy certain products, eliminate competition and destroy the free market.”

After California set a timeline to discontinue the sale of gas-powered cars within the state by 2035, automobile industry analyst Lauren Fix shared concerns about how low-income consumers can afford electric vehicles (EVs) and the reliability of the existing EV charging infrastructure.

The EV industry is working on expanding the charging infrastructure around the country. President Joe Biden announced in February that several EV companies and rental car brands plan to expand access to vehicle charging stations. Tesla has agreed to make at least 7,500 chargers in its national charging network available to other EVs by the end of 2024.

From NTD News