US Sees 'Alarming' Air Quality Trend in 2025

Newsweek

01-05-2025

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An increasing number of U.S. cities historically known for clean air are now facing dangerous pollution levels in 2025, according to a new report by the American Lung Association (ALA), creating an "alarming" trend.
Why It Matters
Air quality has a direct impact on public health, and experts warn that 2025's data signals a troubling reversal of long-standing gains. Increased ozone and PM2.5 exposure have been tied to asthma, heart disease, stroke, and premature death. Those most vulnerable include children, older adults, and individuals with preexisting conditions.
What to Know
Experts cite extreme heat and intensified wildfires as key drivers of "alarming" air conditions, with sharp increases in both ozone and fine particulate matter recorded across much of the Midwest and Northwest.
The ALA's annual State of the Air report found that 156.1 million people—46 percent of the population—now live in counties with failing grades for ozone or particle pollution, nearly 25 million higher than last year. Previously less-affected areas, such as Minneapolis, saw significant spikes in unhealthy air days tied to climate-exacerbated wildfires and particle pollution, such as dust.
Wildfire smoke from the Palisades Fire is seen from Santa Monica Pier amid poor air quality in the region on January 10, 2025, in Santa Monica, California.
Wildfire smoke from the Palisades Fire is seen from Santa Monica Pier amid poor air quality in the region on January 10, 2025, in Santa Monica, California.
Apu Gomes/Getty
"Cities in the Upper Midwest such as Minneapolis were hit especially hard with high levels of ozone and spikes in deadly particle pollution," Katherine Pruitt, senior director of Nationwide Clean Air Policy at the ALA, told Newsweek.
"Another way to think about what was most alarming this year is the number of places that have a history of relatively clean air that got dramatically worse this year, due in large part to extreme heat and wildfire smoke," she said.
The pollutants impacting air quality are heavily influenced by temperature and wildfire activity and can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream.
Numerous air quality alerts caused by both hazards have already been issued across the nation so far this year, including in Arizona, Texas, and North Carolina.
As wildfires become more frequent and severe, even regions outside traditional fire zones are affected. Smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted as far as the Midwest and Northeast in 2023, pushing air quality into unhealthy ranges.
What People Are Saying
Pruitt told Newsweek: "'State of the Air' 2025 finds that the number of red 'unhealthy' and purple 'very unhealthy' days nationwide was the highest [it's] been in our 26 years of reporting."
She added: "The most concerning of course are the places where people are breathing the worst air over the most days. Los Angeles, for example, has an average of over 150 days a year of unhealthy levels of ozone smog. This is actually an improvement from the 230 days a year in our first 'State of the Air' report in 2000. Air quality program managers and decisionmakers in CA recognize the seriousness of the problem and have been working hard and long to clean up their air."
The ALA's State of Air 2025 report said: "Extreme heat, drought and wildfires are contributing to worsening levels of air pollution across much of the U.S., exposing a growing proportion of the population to ozone and particle pollution that put their health at risk."
What Happens Next
In February 2024, the EPA finalized a rule lowering the annual health-based standard for fine particulate matter to 9.0 micrograms per cubic meter, citing updated scientific findings linking PM2.5 exposure to premature death and serious cardiovascular impacts. The rule also included enhanced air monitoring and public alert systems to better protect vulnerable populations.
However, as of March 2025, the agency is reconsidering the rule, arguing that the tighter standard poses economic and implementation challenges.