ATLANTA – A new report from the American Lung Association says that metro Atlanta residents are breathing some of the worst air in the Southeast.
The group’s 26th annual “State of the Air” report found that air quality in the metro area has worsened, meaning residents are being exposed to more unhealthy smog and pollution when they walk outside.
By the numbers:
The report, which uses data from air quality monitors managed by state and local air pollution control authorities, says that Atlanta’s air quality has gotten worse since the group’s 2024 air quality survey.
When it comes to smog, Atlanta has 5.5 days a year when the pollution has been determined to be unhealthy – tripling the number in 2024. The city received a failing grade, ranking 48th worst out of 228 cities and the third worst in the Southeast.
When it comes to particle pollution such as soot, Atlanta also received a failing grade for year-round levels. The group says that pollution levels are above the federal standard and that Atlanta is tied for the fourth-worst Southeast metro area.
The only category where Atlanta did not fail was short-term particle pollution. There it received a C grade, dropping from last year’s B.
Dig deeper:
The city’s poor air quality has health implications and can cause serious problems like asthma attacks, heart attacks, and strokes. Other dangerous health impacts can be preterm births, lung cancer, and even premature death.
Experts say extreme heat and wildfires contributed to worsening air quality in much of the country.
Other parts of the state have been affected as well. Savannah’s grade on ozone smog dropped from an A to a B. Augusta is one of the cleanest in the nation for smog, but tied with Atlanta for year-round soot pollution.
The Lung Association says that 156 million people across the U.S. live in areas that received a failing grade for at least one measure of air pollution, and 42.5 million live in areas with failing grades in all three.
What they’re saying:
“Unfortunately, too many people in the Atlanta metro area are living with unhealthy levels of ozone and particle pollution. This air pollution is a threat to human health at every stage of life—increasing the risk of premature birth and low birth weight in babies to causing or worsening lung and heart disease to shortening lives,” said Danna Thompson, advocacy director for the Lung Association in Georgia. “We urge Georgia policymakers to take action to improve our air quality, and we are calling on everyone to support the incredibly important work of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Without EPA staff and programs, Georgians won’t know what’s in the air they’re breathing, and efforts to clean up air pollution will be undone.”
What you can do:
You can see the full State of the Air report on the American Lung Association’s website.
The Source: Information for this story came from the American Lung Association’s State of the Air.
