The American Lung Association's 2024 "State of the Air" report has revealed that the Chicago metro area is one of the worst in the nation for ozone and particle pollution. According to Kristina Hamilton, Director of Advocacy for the American Lung Association, "Chicago is listed as one of the worst places for ozone and particle pollution, which disproportionately impacts low-income communities and communities of color."
In terms of ground-level ozone pollution, the Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI metro area ranked 17th worst in the nation. Cook County, Illinois, had an average of 15.3 unhealthy days per year, earning an F grade. Similarly, for particle pollution, the greater Chicago area ranked 73rd worst in the nation for short-term particle pollution, with Cook County averaging 1.3 unhealthy days per year, receiving a C grade.
The report highlighted that nationally, more than 131 million people live in areas with failing grades for at least one measure of air pollution. Individuals in the U.S. experienced the highest number of days with very unhealthy and hazardous levels of particle pollution in the history of reporting the "State of the Air." Communities of color are disproportionately affected by unhealthy air, with a person of color in the U.S. being more than twice as likely as a white individual to live in a community with failing grades on all three pollution measures.
Both ozone and particle pollution can lead to serious health effects such as asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, preterm births, and impaired cognitive functioning. Additionally, particle pollution can cause lung cancer.
The American Lung Association is urging the Illinois General Assembly to implement strong policies to reduce air pollution from transportation sources, including adopting clean vehicle standards and expanding electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Furthermore, the organization is calling on the U.S. EPA to establish stronger national limits on ozone pollution to drive cleanup of polluting sources across the country.
To learn more about the full report results and support the mission of the American Lung Association, individuals can visit Lung.org/SOTA. Interviews about the "State of the Air" report can be arranged by contacting Janye Killelea at [email protected] or (312) 940-7624.
For those looking to get involved, the Fight For Air Climb Chicago will take place at Soldier Field on Sunday, May 19. More information is available at FightForAirClimb.org/Chicago.
