The American Lung Association's 21st annual "State of the Air" report was released nationwide on Tuesday, April 21, 2020.
Nearly half of the United States is breathing record-breaking air pollution in nine western cities according to the American Lung Association’s ‘State of the Air’ report. They find climate change is driving increases in unhealthy air with 150 million people at risk.
The 2020 “State of the Air” report analyzed data from 2016, 2017 and 2018, the three years with the most recent quality-assured air pollution data. Notably, those three years were among the five hottest recorded in global history. When it comes to air quality, changing climate patterns fuel wildfires and their dangerous smoke, and lead to worsened particle and ozone pollution. This degraded air quality threatens everyone, especially children, older adults and people living with a lung disease.
Breathing clean air is critical, inside and outside. We need to reduce the impact environmentally which in turn can only help our indoor air quality. Clean furnace filters and AC filters are one thing we can do to protect our indoor air, when we are outside it's up to us on reducing our impact on air quality.
Learn more about “State of the Air” at Lung.org/sota.
The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy and research. The work of the American Lung Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer; to champion clean air for all; to improve the quality of life for those with lung disease and their families; and to create a tobacco-free future. For more information about the American Lung Association, a holder of the coveted 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and a Gold-Level GuideStar Member, or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) or visit: Lung.org.
