Nearly Half Of U.S. Children Breathing Polluted Air, Study Finds

InnovationSustainabilityNearly Half Of U.S. Children Breathing Polluted Air, Study FindsByJamie Hailstone,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Jamie Hailstone is a U.K-based reporter, who covers sustainability. Follow AuthorApr 22, 2026, 03:24am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.WEEHAWKEN, NJ - JULY 18: Children play in a park in front of the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center on a night with a hazy sunset in New York City on July 18, 2023, as seen from Weehawken, New Jersey. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)Getty ImagesNearly half of the children in the U.S. are breathing unhealthy levels of air pollution, despite significant progress in improving air quality, according to a new analysis.Data from the American Lung Association’s annual State of the Air report shows 33.5 million children in the U.S., or 46% of people under 18 years old, live in an area that received a failing grade for at least one measure of air pollution. And more than 7 million children (10% of all kids) live in a community with failing grades for all three measures considered in the study, namely short-term particle pollution (PM2.5), long-term particle pollution and ozone pollution.Nearly half of the children in the U.S. are breathing unhealthy levels of air pollution, despite significant progress in improving air quality, according to a new analysis.Data from the American Lung Association’s annual State of the Air report shows 33.5 million children in the U.S., or 46% of people under 18 years old, live in an area that received a failing grade for at least one measure of air pollution. And more than 7 million children (10% of all kids) live in a community with failing grades for all three measures considered in the study – short-term particle pollution (PM2.5), long-term particle pollution and ozone pollution.The report looks at the latest q...