State of the Air 2026, April 2026 | American Lung Association
Air pollution in childhood can shape lung health for a lifetime. The American Lung Association’s 2026 report finds that 46% of US children (33.5 million under the age of 18) live in counties that received a failing grade for at least one air quality measure. About 7.3 million live in areas that fail on every measure tracked.
The report grades US counties on two pollutants: fine particle pollution (PM2.5) and ozone, both regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Clean Air Act. The report’s health impacts section was reviewed by John Balmes, MD, a pulmonologist at the University of California, San Francisco,
and University of California, Berkeley.
Children’s biology makes them more vulnerable than adults. Their lungs are still developing. They breathe more air per pound of body weight. And although active outdoor time has been declining, kids still spend far more time being physically active outdoors than adults do. On high-pollution days, they take in an adult-sized dose in a smaller body.
Recent peer-reviewed research bears out the long-term stakes. A 2024 US study found that early-life exposure to PM2.5 significantly raised the risk of asthma in early and mid-childhood. The literature also points to impeded lung growth and potential effects on the developing brain and heart.
Daily air quality forecasts, available through most weather apps and government sites like www.AirNow.gov, give families a practical way to plan outdoor time around cleaner conditions. A few seconds checking the forecast can spare developing lungs an unnecessary hit.
