Susie Webb

About 44% of Americans, including nearly half of U.S. children, live in counties with failing air quality, according to the American Lung Association’s State of the Air Report. Worsening ozone pollution and extreme heat and wildfires driven by climate change are major contributors, though particle pollution improved slightly due to the exclusion of severe 2021 wildfire data. The report highlights disproportionate exposure among communities of color and warns that rolling back EPA clean air protections and rising energy demands from data centers could further degrade air quality. Only Bangor, Maine, met the cleanest air criteria nationwide.