Report: Charlotte air quality worsening
CHARLOTTE, N.C. () – The American Lung Association released its '2025 State of the Air' report Wednesday, showing air pollution is on the rise in the Charlotte metro area.
The annual report found wildfires and extreme heat contributed to an increase in ozone smog and particle pollution.
The association grades regions based on smog and soot concentrations, and Charlotte earned a D for smog, or ground-level ozone pollution, and a C for spikes in soot, or particle pollution. Data collectors consider these scores to be a failing grade.
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The Queen City area is not unique in its backward slide. They say public health across the nation is at risk. Researchers found nearly half of the U.S. population (46%) lives in areas with unhealthy levels of pollution.
The latest report covers data from 2021 to 2023 and does not measure the effects of the latest round of wildfires in the Carolinas or from Hurricane Helene. North Carolina director of advocacy for the American Lung Association, Danna Thompson, said air pollution from natural disasters is a major concern.
'Smoke from wildfires can harm anybody nearby, even miles away,' she said. 'Breathing that smoke does shorten lives. It causes heart attacks, asthma attacks and other dangerous health side effects. So even adults, healthy adults, can be at risk for coughing and wheezing.'
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality continues to monitor quality in impacted counties, and officials recommend anyone cleaning in disaster areas to wear personal protective equipment to guard against dust, mold and chemicals in debris.
Thompson said national organizations can be limited due to a lack of resources, so the State of the Air report utilizes additional data from state, local and Tribal authorities. They found only 34 out of North Carolina's 100 counties measure air quality with enough data to assign a grade.
'I think that really underscores the fact that we need more monitors and we need access to quality data so that we can be informed and take measures to safeguard our health,' Thompson said.
Officials with the American Lung Association said the Environmental Protection Agency faces the risk of cuts to staffing and programs, which they said could limit progress on anti-pollution measures.
'We're encouraging North Carolinians to join our efforts and take action for clean air,' said Elaine Loyack, advocacy chair of the Lung Association's North Carolina Leadership Board in a statement. 'Because, when you can't breathe, nothing else matters.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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