Report: Almost 40% of US Residents Exposed to Air Pollution

0:00

/1861

1×

Facts

• A report released Wednesday by the American Lung Association says nearly 40% of Americans (more than 131M people) are exposed to harmful levels of air pollution.¹
• The State of the Air report states that although there have been long-term efforts to clean the air in the US, the situation has worsened in recent years. Rising temperatures have increased ozone production and dust. Wildfire smoke has polluted the air with harmful particles.²
• California is home to four of the top five most-polluted cities, as wildfires, drought, and high temperatures contribute to the deterioration of air quality. Los Angeles had the most severe smog problem, while Bakersfield had the highest level of particle pollution for the fifth consecutive year.¹
• Particle pollution can cause asthma, lung cancer, chronic lung diseases, premature birth, and pregnancy loss.³
• This report comes out despite the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reporting a 78% reduction in outdoor pollution emissions since the Clean Air Act was enacted by former Pres. Richard Nixon in 1970.⁴

Sources: ¹Guardian, ²NPR Online News, ³NBC10 Philadelphia and ⁴CNN.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by NBC4 Washington. Poor American air quality is even more bad news for low-income and minority populations, which have historically inhaled more polluted air than people in affluent neighborhoods or gentrified areas. This is clearly a product of structural racism and it's a crisis that must be addressed by the US government.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Newsweek. In order to tackle this problem, the US government needs to come up with all-encompassing solutions. Already cars are using cleaner fuels and coal-fired facilities are being shut down. More can be done as long as there's the requisite amount of federal and local investment to continue the momentum.

Predictions