On the State of the Air report: ‘Now is a really good time’ for clean air efforts

With many U.S. citizens still at risk for air pollution exposure, the American Lung Association is urging the Biden administration to speed up execution of their clean air plans, according to an association press release.

“The Biden administration envisioned a powerful clean air to-do list, but they are moving slowly in getting those things done,” Katherine Pruitt, BA, national senior director for policy at the American Lung Association and project lead of the State of the Air report, told Healio. “Our main ask with the State of the Air report this year is that the EPA and the Biden administration pick up the pace and get strong air quality standards and regulations finalized. The sooner they can get them done, the more lives we can save.”

This message from the American Lung Association comes with its yearly State of the Air report that presents data on air pollution levels across the U.S., with this year’s containing information from 2019 to 2021.

Despite an overall improvement in air quality, more than one in three U.S. citizens (almost 120 million individuals) are subjected to high fine particulate matter or ozone levels where they live, according to the release. The report also found that improvements significantly varied by geography and race/ethnicity.

“There are growing disparities geographically between the eastern states and the western states, as well as in exposures between people of color and white people,” Pruitt told Healio.

In terms of geography, the report noted that western states included all 25 of the counties on the list for the worst levels of short-term particle pollution.

When evaluating the demographics of individuals who reside in a county with F-graded air quality, people of color had a greater likelihood (64%) of residence in these areas compared with white individuals, which the press release noted was an increase from 61% found in last year’s report.

Particle, ozone pollution

Taking a more specific look at the types of air pollution exposure monitored in this report, Pruitt told Healio there were some ups and downs.

Compared with last year’s findings on short-term particle pollution, nearly half a million more people had unhealthy levels of this pollution in their counties, according to the release. The report found that areas with the most short-term particle pollution included Bakersfield, Fresno-Madera-Hanford and Visalia in California; Fairbanks, Alaska; and Reno-Carson City-Fernley, Nevada.

“We saw that 63.7 million people were living in counties that got an F grade for spikes in particle pollution,” Pruitt said. “That's the most we’ve seen in 10 years. In fact, when we look at the last 5 years of reports, we see that the number of people living in counties that got Fs for short term particle pollution has almost doubled in the last 5 years.”

Although there was a rise in short-term particle pollution, the release said that particle pollution averaged over a year declined, with 1.5 million less people residing in areas that got a failing grade. Pruitt told Healio this is a marker of long-term exposure to things that do not necessarily change too much, such as power plants and transportation sources. Bakersfield ranked first again, followed by Visalia, Fresno-Madera-Hanford and Los Angeles-Long Beach in California and Fairbanks in Alaska.

According to the release, the number of people exposed to ozone pollution also went down by 19.3 million people, and this was significant given that climate change has made this type of pollution more frequent.

“Ozone is really this year’s success story,” Pruitt told Healio. “We have been seeing ozone levels getting better over the last years, and that’s largely attributable to clean-up measures that we have been able to make through the Clean Air Act. However, this year was quite a significant jump.”

Los Angeles-Long Beach ranked as the city with the most ozone pollution, followed by Visalia, Bakersfield and Fresno-Madera-Hanford in California and Phoenix-Mesa in Arizona. Pruitt told Healio that 103 million people are still living in areas with unhealthy ozone pollution, but the decline found in this year’s report may be a promising sign for less pollution in years to come.

“Almost 39 counties fell off that list from last year and six of our eastern states — Delaware, Georgia, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Tennessee — have no counties at all with an F grade,” she said. “For the first time in the history of the report they’re off the F list, so good things are happening.

“These improvements are all due to hard work, innovation and investment in cleaning up sources of air pollution,” Pruitt added.

The cleanest places to live are also highlighted in the State of the Air report, and this year, seven cities received this honor by having no high ozone or particle pollution days, as well as the lowest year-round particle pollution levels, according to the release:

• Asheville-Marion-Brevard, North Carolina
• Bangor, Maine
• Greenville-Kinston-Washington, North Carolina
• Lincoln-Beatrice, Nebraska
• Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, New York
• Urban Honolulu, Hawaii
• Wilmington, North Carolina

Pruitt told Healio some of these places have a geographic advantage that helps them be cleaner than other places, but some are clean because of the efforts they have made against air pollution.

“Many states, like the New England states which really do very well on our report cards, have adopted California's clean car rules,” she said. “This is something the federal government cannot do but something that states can adopt.”

Importantly, only 922 counties out of 3,221 can monitor their air pollution levels, which means there are “undoubtedly plenty of other clean places,” Pruitt told Healio.

Understanding who’s at risk

In addition to data on air pollution levels, this year’s State of the Air report highlights individuals who are more susceptible to air pollution and have greater health risks linked to air pollution.

According to the report, these individuals include people of color, people living in low-income areas, people who have a history of smoking, children, older adults, pregnant women and the unborn, and those with health conditions including asthma, COPD, diabetes, heart disease and lung cancer.

Additional people at risk are those who work outside, those with limited access to health care and those who experience chronic social stress like exposure to violence and discrimination, Pruitt told Healio.

“It’s pretty much somebody in everyone’s family,” she said.

Air pollution has a major impact on the lungs, so those with chronic respiratory diseases need to be particularly cautious, she said.

“Both ozone and particle pollution exacerbate respiratory diseases and have been implicated in causality for children with asthma and development of symptoms and reduction in lung function,” Pruitt told Healio.

When asked about ways to take precautions against air pollution, Pruitt said knowing you are at risk and taking an interest in your community’s air quality is the first step.

“We do this report because it is important for people to know the quality of the air they are breathing,” she said. “We want people to know what the air quality is in their community, but then to also keep track of the quality forecasts on a day-to-day basis. Most people can now get this on their phone or from the weather report.

“It’s also important that people know their body and at what air pollution level they are going to start to feel the impacts,” Pruitt added.

In addition to knowing the air quality, it is important for individuals to think about the amount of time they are spending outdoors. Pruitt notes that going out earlier in the day is better than later in the day in terms of air pollution exposure, and avoiding exercising along roadways means less direct contact with air pollution.

For individuals who reside in fire-prone areas, Pruitt recommends having two things: N-95 masks and a clean room, or a place that is closed off and has an air filtration device appropriate for the size of the room.

Ways to take action

Taking public transit or switching to zero-emission vehicles and appliances are major ways that individuals can act against air pollution, according to the report.

In addition to these actions, Pruitt said that individuals can get involved in local policy change, noting that right now there is a lot of opportunity.

“This is a really good time to get involved because of the Biden administration’s investment in clean technologies through the Inflation Reduction Act and some earlier funding,” she said. “With these investments, there’s money available for more local monitoring, which is also a good way for people to learn more about the quality of the air in their immediate neighborhoods.”

Along with individuals taking action, those at the local and federal levels must also make efforts to reduce air pollution. Local governments can adopt a climate action plan and invest in zero-emission fleet vehicles and non-combustion electricity, according to the report.

With the Inflation Reduction Act and the clean air efforts proposed by the Biden administration, there is great opportunity at the federal level, Pruitt said. As highlighted above, the report’s last message is an urge for quicker implementation of all items on the administration’s to do list.

Pruitt told Healio prioritizing clean air efforts at all levels is the main takeaway from this year’s report.

“There are still way too many people at risk, but we’re seeing some promising results from the hard work we’ve done to clean up the air,” Pruitt told Healio. “Now is a really good time. We have opportunities to make a difference with some of the resources and regulatory improvements and to strengthen protections for the public that are coming down the pike if we can stay the course.”

References:

• A nation’s air quality divided: New report reveals growing disparities in exposure to air pollution. https://www.lung.org/media/press-releases/state-of-the-air-2023. Published April 19, 2023. Accessed April 19, 2023.
• State of the Air 2023 report. https://www.lung.org/getmedia/338b0c3c-6bf8-480f-9e6e-b93868c6c476/SOTA-2023.pdf. Published April 19, 2023. Accessed April 19. 2023.