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U.S. Department of Transportation
Most Polluted Cities | American Lung Association
Over 127 million
people live in counties that receive an F for pollution.
Nearly one in six (16.1%) people in
the United States live in an area with unhealthful short-term levels of particle pollution.
Nearly 50 million Americans live in 66 counties that experienced too many
days with unhealthy spikes in particle
pollution. Short-term spikes in particle
pollution can last from hours to several days and can increase the risk of heart
attacks, strokes and emergency-room visits for asthma and cardiovascular disease, and most importantly,
can increase the risk of early death.
Nearly 6.4 million people (2.1%) in the United States
live in an area with unhealthful year-round levels of particle pollution.
These people live in
areas where chronic levels are regularly a threat
to their health..
Nearly 4 in 10 people in the United States (38.5%)
live in areas with unhealthful levels of ozone.
Counties that were graded F for ozone levels have a combined population of
almost 116.7 million.