US counties get mixed grades in ‘State of the Air’ pollution report

Despite the progress that’s been made on cleaning up the nation’s air in recent decades, more than 40 percent of Americans still live in counties with levels of ozone or particulate pollution that exceed what are considered safe levels.

That’s one takeaway from the “State of the Air” report published today by the American Lung Association (ALA). The report has been grading counties in the US on their air quality for 19 years, and this year’s installment shows both continued progress on particle pollution and a worsening of ozone pollution, possibly caused by higher temperatures.

Since the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970, the combined emissions of six key pollutants have

High readings in FairbanksHot spots in the Golden State