Topic analysis

Nearly half of US children are breathing dangerous levels of air pollution, report warns

The 27th annual American Lung Association air quality report (analyzing 2022-2024 data) finds that 46% of U.S. children (33.5 million) live in areas with dangerous air pollution, with 10% residing in communities failing all three key pollution metrics; communities of color are disproportionately affected, and experts warn the Trump EPA’s environmental rollbacks, climate change-driven factors like wildfires and extreme heat, and growing datacenter emissions will worsen risks to children’s developing lungs and long-term health.