People of color across the United States affected by air pollution

According to a 2024 report by the American Lung Association, thousands and thousands of people across the country are exposed to unhealthy air quality, which disproportionately affects communities of color.

Despite a long time of efforts to scale back air pollution, a staggering 131.2 million Americans, or 39% of the total population, live in unhealthy areas ozone or particulate matter levels. Although people of color make up 41.6% of the nation’s population, they make up a surprising 52% of residents in counties that received a minimum of one failing rating for air quality. In counties with the most severe air pollution, where all three air quality measures failed, it’s shocking that 63% of the nearly 44 million residents are people of color, in comparison with 37% of white people.

The State of the Air notes the increase in the number of people whose health is in danger, citing contributing aspects including extreme heat, drought and wildfires, which together are causing a gentle increase in deadly particulate matter that causes heavy pollution in the western regions of the United States. While the organization’s report initially highlighted the Clean Air Act’s successes in mitigating emissions from transportation, power plants and manufacturing sectors, recent findings have highlighted growing evidence that climate change poses enormous challenges to protecting human health.

BLACK ENTERPRISES We previously reported that, resulting from the disproportionate sales of beauty products to Black women, the deployment of fossil fuel plants across the United States is destroying their health and the environment. Researchers found that black women were more prone to live near power plants, and since emissions lower air quality, they were more prone to suffer from respiratory problems corresponding to asthma and bronchitis.

Based on year-round levels of ozone and particulate matter over an extended period of time, the State of the Air report identified several cities in California as amongst the most polluted locations.

The American Lung Association urges individuals to take proactive steps to guard themselves and their families from the dangers of air pollution by monitoring every day air quality forecasts, minimizing personal contributions to air pollution, using tax incentives to scale back emissions from homes and vehicles, and supporting , alongside local policymakers and civic organizations for cleaner air initiatives.