{"id":89933,"date":"2026-04-22T19:51:46","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T19:51:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/2026\/04\/22\/44-of-americans-breathe-dangerously-polluted-air-in-california-it-is-82-2\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T19:53:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T19:53:43","slug":"44-of-americans-breathe-dangerously-polluted-air-in-california-it-is-82-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/2026\/04\/22\/44-of-americans-breathe-dangerously-polluted-air-in-california-it-is-82-2\/","title":{"rendered":"44% of Americans breathe dangerously polluted air. In California, it is 82%"},"content":{"rendered":"

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According to the American Lung Association, Greater Los Angeles remains the most ozone-polluted metro area in the country. 2026 State of the Air Report<\/a>Which found that Southern California is facing the dirtiest air in the country.<\/p>\n

In the report released Wednesday, Los Angeles-Long Beach ranked as the worst U.S. metro area for ozone pollution, with an average of 159.2 unhealthy ozone days a year. The region ranks seventh worst nationally for annual particle pollution and seventh worst for short-term particle pollution.<\/p>\n

The American Lung Association, or ALA, assigns grades based on the number of unhealthy air days and the severity of pollution levels, using federal air quality standards. Los Angeles County received failing grades in all three categories measured in the report: ozone, short-term particle pollution and annual particle pollution.<\/p>\n

Riverside and San Bernardino counties also failed on all three measures.<\/p>\n

Orange County received an F for ozone, a failing grade for annual particle pollution, and a C for short-term particle pollution.<\/p>\n

Ground-level ozone, often called “smog”, is a corrosive gas that forms when pollution from vehicles and other sources reacts with heat and sunlight. It can irritate the lungs and cause serious breathing problems.<\/p>\n

Short-term and annual particle pollution refers to fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5. These fine particles come from sources such as vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions and forest fires. Because they are small enough to enter the bloodstream, they are linked to asthma attacks, heart disease, stroke and lung cancer, according to Will Barrett, assistant vice president for nationwide clean air policy at ALA.<\/p>\n

The report found some signs of progress. Los Angeles recorded its lowest annual particle pollution levels in the report’s history, even though the area is still one of the worst in the country.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, ozone pollution in Los Angeles has worsened since last year’s report, leaving the metro area in the top spot nationally for smog. The report said Los Angeles has ranked among the worst for ozone in 26 of the 27 years in the study released by ALA.<\/p>\n

Speaking to the press on Tuesday, Barrett said the region’s pollution comes largely from mass transportation sources “primarily burning gasoline and diesel” as well as refineries and other local emission sources. He said these pressures are linked to climate and coastal conditions that promote indoor pollution, especially in the Inland Empire, where unhealthy ozone days are even more severe.<\/p>\n

Nationally, the report found that in the US, 152.3 million people, or 44% of the population, live in places that received a failing grade for at least one measure of ozone or particle pollution. This includes 33.5 million children, or 46% of people under the age of 18. In California, the ALA said 82% of residents live in counties affected by unhealthy air.<\/p>\n

Of the 15 US counties with the worst smog days last year, eight were in California.<\/p>\n

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