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counties with unhealthy air, compared to last year's report.
• 43.3: Percentage of Americans living in counties with un-
healthy air.
• 19: Number of years that Los Angeles has ranked as
most polluted US city for smog, out of 20 years that Amer-
ican Lung Association has been publishing this report.
• 20.2 million: Number of people living in counties with
unhealthy air for all three pollutants included in the report
(smog, daily particle pollution, and annual average of par-
ticle pollution)
• 12: Number of counties that have unhealthy levels of all
three measures included in the report (smog, daily par-
ticle pollution, and annual average of particle pollution)
The Report doesn't just rank and grade cities for air quality.
It also highlights the most important risks to our air, focusing
on the Trump administration's multiple efforts to roll back or
weaken healthy air protections and the Clean Air Act. The
American Lung Association also identifies the systematic at-
tempt to "weaken the scientific review" of regulations as a
threat to our air. The efforts to undermine science and scien-
tists at the EPA represent an insidious attempt to curry favor
with industry at the expense of our health. We must stand up
for science as the basis of strong health protections.
As always, the report provides an essential tool to all
clean air advocates by providing a report card for every
state. These reports provide vital information about the air
quality where you live, including making clear that many,
many counties lack air quality monitors, and that we need to
demand clean air protections to protect our health.
