Nearly Half of US Children Exposed to Dangerous Air Pollution Levels
A new report from the American Lung Association (ALA) has issued a stark warning: nearly half of all children in the United States are breathing air that poses serious health risks. The findings come amid growing concerns over the Trump administration's extensive rollback of environmental protections, which experts fear will exacerbate the crisis.
Alarming Statistics on Air Quality and Child Health
The 27th annual air quality report, released on Wednesday, evaluates pollution across the country by assessing levels of ground-level ozone, commonly known as smog, as well as year-round and short-term spikes in particle pollution, often referred to as soot. Based on data collected between 2022 and 2024, the report found that 33.5 million children in the US, representing 46% of those under 18, reside in areas that received a failing grade for at least one measure of air pollution.
Even more concerning, 7 million children, or 10% of all US children, live in communities that failed all three pollution measures. Will Barrett, assistant vice-president of the ALA's Nationwide Clean Air Policy, emphasized the heightened vulnerability of children, stating, "Children's lungs are still developing. For their body size, they're breathing more air. And also, kids play outdoors, they're more active, they're breathing in more outdoor air... So, air pollution exposure in children can contribute to long-term developmental harm to their lungs, new cases of asthma, increased risks of respiratory illness, and other health considerations later in life."
Disproportionate Impact on Communities of Color
The report further highlights that communities of color bear a disproportionate burden of unhealthy air. While people of color make up 42.1% of the US population, they represent 54.2% of those living in counties with at least one failing grade. Additionally, a person of color is 2.42 times more likely than a white person to live in a community that fails all three pollution measures. This exposure contributes to higher rates of chronic health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease, making these populations more vulnerable to pollution-related health issues.
Smog as the Most Widespread Pollutant
Smog remains the most pervasive pollutant affecting Americans' health. Between 2022 and 2024, 38% of the US population, approximately 129.1 million people, were exposed to ozone levels that jeopardize their health. This marks the highest number recorded in the ALA's report in six years, with an increase of 3.9 million from the previous year. Factors driving this rise include extreme heat, drought, and wildfires, which have exposed a growing share of the population to harmful ozone.
Regions most affected by high ozone levels span from California to Texas in the southwestern states, as well as much of the Midwest. This trend is largely attributed to smoke from Canada's 2023 wildfires crossing into the US, combined with high temperatures and weather patterns that favored ozone formation in 2023 and 2024, particularly in southern states.
Climate Change and Emerging Pollution Sources
More broadly, the report underscores how climate change is intensifying ozone pollution by boosting precursor emissions and creating atmospheric conditions, such as higher temperatures and lower wind speeds, that allow pollutants to accumulate and ozone to form. Additionally, the report identifies datacenters as a growing source of air pollution. In recent years, datacenters have consumed about 4.4% of total US electricity, a figure that could surge to as much as 12% within the next decade.
Their environmental impact stems from reliance on regional electricity grids where fossil fuels like methane gas and coal still dominate generation, along with the use of diesel-powered backup generators that emit carcinogenic particulate matter. Barrett urged a shift toward non-combustion, clean renewable energy sources, stating, "As the demand for increases in datacenters continues to grow, the focus needs to be on non-combustion, clean renewable energy sources that are additive and not taking away from the grid."
Environmental Rollbacks and Public Health Risks
Barrett also pointed to a series of environmental rollbacks by the current Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), warning that they are putting air quality at greater risk. He criticized the EPA for "devaluing children's health" through actions such as weakening particle pollution standards, repealing vehicle standards, and allowing increased emissions from oil and gas facilities. Since returning to office last year, the Trump administration has initiated at least 70 actions to roll back environmental and climate protections, including loosening regulations on power plants that limit mercury and other hazardous air toxics.
Other rollbacks include overturning limits on major air pollution sources, disbanding EPA advisory committees on air quality, and ending the practice of estimating the monetary value of lives saved by limiting fine particulate matter and ozone while still calculating costs to companies. Barrett added, "[There is] a wide-scale effort by the federal EPA to eliminate health protections while also distancing themselves from their own mission to protect public health."
This comprehensive report serves as a critical reminder of the urgent need for stronger environmental policies to safeguard the health of future generations, particularly in the face of escalating climate challenges and regulatory setbacks.
