State of the Air 2025 — 156 Million Americans Exposed to Unhealthy Air
Facts & Timeline
The American Lung Association’s “State of the Air 2025” report finds 156 million people (46% of the U.S. population) live in counties with failing grades for either ozone or particle pollution. (lung.org)
This represents 25 million more than the 2024 report. (lung.org)
Data covers 2021–2023 monitoring for ozone and particle pollution, including both short-term spikes and annual averages. (lung.org)
Contributing factors: heat, drought, and wildfires drove ozone and particle levels higher in regions previously seen as relatively clean. (lung.org)
Communities of color are disproportionately impacted: while ~41% of the U.S. population, they make up ~50% of those living in failing-grade counties. Hispanic populations are nearly three times more likely than white populations to face all three pollutant risks. (lung.org)
Worst-polluted metro areas: Bakersfield, CA ranked worst for both short-term and year-round particle pollution; Los Angeles topped ozone pollution lists. (lung.org)
Monitoring gaps: Only 922 of 3,221 counties have air quality monitors for at least one pollutant. Roughly 72.8 million people live in counties with no monitoring data at all. (lung.org)
Current Situation & Health Impacts
Air pollution in the U.S. is not evenly distributed. While progress has been made under the Clean Air Act, the latest findings show that nearly half the country is still exposed to unhealthy levels of air. Ozone pollution worsens asthma and lung diseases, while fine particle pollution (PM2.5) penetrates deep into lungs and bloodstream, raising the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and premature death.
Children and the elderly remain the most vulnerable — alongside marginalized communities often living closer to industrial corridors or highways. Pollution exposure compounds existing inequities, widening health disparities. Without comprehensive monitoring, entire populations may be breathing unhealthy air without official recognition or intervention.
Motivations & Policy Dynamics
Climate change drivers: Higher temperatures accelerate ozone formation; prolonged drought and wildfires add smoke particulates.
Regulatory challenges: Some progress stems from emissions standards, but court battles and rollbacks of environmental protections risk slowing or reversing gains.
Justice gap: Pollution burdens fall hardest on disadvantaged neighborhoods, often lacking access to healthcare or resources like air filters and green space.
Monitoring blind spots: Millions live unmonitored — meaning the true toll of polluted air may be significantly higher than reported.
Scriptural Perspective & Comfort
Air is life. The Bible says God “gives to all people life and breath and all things” (Acts 17:25). When pollution makes the simple act of breathing dangerous, it shows the limits of human stewardship.
The prophet Isaiah foretold a time when “they will not harm nor destroy in all my holy mountain” (Isaiah 11:9). That includes freedom from silent harm in the very air we breathe.
For now, God is near to those weakened by injustice and illness (Psalm 34:18). But under His Kingdom, the air will be pure, life-giving, and safe for every child, elder, and community — a clean breath of justice, forever secure.
