The new grade is lower than last year’s “C,” with 3.7 unhealthy days per year on average due to short-term spikes in particle pollution. The American Lung Association’s “State of the Air” report found worsening trends in air quality over time despite efforts to mitigate pollution.
The metro region was labeled the second-most polluted in the mid-Atlantic, surpassed only by New York-Newark.
“The air pollutants highlighted in this report are widespread and pose a risk to everyone’s health. Both ozone and particle pollution can lead to premature death and cause serious health issues such as asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, preterm births, and even problems with cognitive function later in life. Particle pollution can also increase the risk of lung cancer,” ALA Director of Advocacy Aleks Casper said in a statement.
“Sadly, too many people in the metro area are living with dangerous levels of ozone and particle pollution. This pollution is making kids have asthma attacks, causing people who work outdoors to get sick and unable to work, and even contributing to low birth weight in babies,” he added, urging people to support the Environmental Protection Agency.
In 2023, wildfires in Canada contributed to the worst recorded air quality numbers, and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments declared a Code Purple warning. Climate factors, vehicle emissions, particles from construction, and other industrial activities affect the region’s air pollution.
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Despite the low grade, Washington didn’t appear on the “worst 25 cities” lists for ozone and year-round particle pollution or short-term particle pollution. It ranked 66th worst in the United States, a major jump from last year’s spot at 90th.
This year’s report found that 156.1 million Americans, 25 million more than last year, were living in places with failing grades due to at least one kind of pollution, a total amounting to 46% of the U.S. population. Roughly 42.5 million people lived in areas with failing grades for all three types of pollution. This total is the worst of the past 10 years.
