TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The American Lung Association’s 2017 “State of the Air” report found Florida has earned overall passing grades for the three most common forms of hazardous air pollution.

Florida, like most Southeast states show strong evidence of the progress made on air quality thanks to the Clean Air Act. Some of the biggest progress came from cleaning up major sources, especially power plants, and retiring old, dirty diesel engines.

The annual, national air quality “report card” found that 125 million Americans—nearly four in ten (38.9%)—lived in counties with unhealthful levels of either ozone or particle pollution in 2013-2015, placing them at risk for premature death and other serious health effects such as lung cancer, asthma attacks, cardiovascular damage, and developmental and reproductive harm.

The most notable national findings of the 18th annual report were lower overall ozone levels and lower year-round particle levels, offset by a continued trend of extreme short-term spikes in particle pollution, often related to wildfires or droughts. The report finds that the health of 43 million people across the country are at risk from these dangerous spikes in particle pollution.  

Each year the “State of the Air” reports on the two most widespread outdoor air pollutants, ozone pollution (smog) and particle pollution (soot). The report analyzes particle pollution in two ways: through average annual particle pollution levels and short-term spikes in particle pollution. Both ozone and particle pollution are dangerous to public health and can be lethal. But the trends reported in this year’s report, which covers data collected by states, cities, counties, tribes and federal agencies in 2013-2015, are strikingly different for these pollutants, nationwide, and in Florida

Learn more about city rankings, as well as air quality across Florida and the nation in the 2017 “State of the Air” report at Lung.org/sota. For media interested in speaking with an expert about lung health and healthy air, contact the American Lung Association in Florida at Phil.Koehler@LungSE.org or 904-309-8308.