Half of America lives with unhealthy levels of air pollution, study finds

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last updated 20 April 2016

How clean is your air? Probably not very, according to the American Lung Association's 17th annual "state of the air" report. Nearly half of the country is living with unhealthy, and potentially dangerous, levels of air pollution. That leaves 166 million Americans with increased risk of lung cancer, asthma attacks, heart disease, and reproductive issues.

Californians are especially at risk because of all the recent wildfires and extended periods of drought. Of the 25 U.S. cities "most polluted by year-round particle pollution," the top seven were located in the Golden State. Bakersfield was the most polluted city for short-term and year-round particle pollution, while the Los Angeles-Long Beach area was found to be the worst for ozone pollution.

The ALA report did offer one piece of good news, though. In recent years, air quality has shown a "gradual improvement," The Guardian reports, though scientists still fear it may be too little, too late. "We've certainly seen dramatic improvements in air quality but far too many cities and counties exceed levels where adverse effects occur," said Paul Billings, senior vice-president for advocacy at the ALA. "Progress should be faster. Americans deserve to breathe clean air and there's still a lot of work to be done."