More than 700,000 children living in D.C. area are breathing unhealthy levels of air pollution, according to the American Lung Association’s 27th annual “State of the Air” report.
The group’s report said children are exposed to air pollution levels that put their developing lungs and long-term health at risk.
While air quality has improved in some ways since last year, the report found that dangerous levels of ozone smog and fine particle pollution are still making kids sick and can lead to chronic conditions. The American Lung Association said children are especially vulnerable because they breathe more air for their body size and spend more time outdoors.
“The air pollution is causing kids to have asthma attacks, contributing to chronic health conditions, and making people who work outdoors sick,” Aleks Casper, the association’s advocacy director, said in a news release.
The annual report looked at three key measures from 2022 to 2024: ozone, daily spikes in fine particle pollution and year-round averages of fine particle pollution.
The D.C. region remains among the 50 worst areas in the country for ozone smog, which is produced when pollutants from tailpipes, factories and other sources mix with sunlight.
The area got an F grade and ranked 49th worst for ozone, based on an average of 5.8 “unhealthy” days each year in Baltimore County, Maryland. That’s better than last year’s 36th-worst ranking and 7.5 unhealthy days, according to the report.
Fine particle pollution, which comes from things such as wildfires, diesel engines and wood-burning stoves, also dropped slightly. The region got a D grade and ranked 60th worst in the nation for daily spikes, with Frederick County, Virginia, and the District averaging 3.2 unhealthy days per year. Last year, the region had 3.7 such days and an F.
For year-round particle pollution, the worst county in the region — Berkeley County, West Virginia — earned a passing grade and met federal standards. The metro area’s national ranking for this category stayed the same as last year at 66th worst.
Air pollution can trigger asthma attacks and contribute to heart attacks, strokes, preterm births and even cognitive issues later in older adults, the American Lung Association said. Fine particles can also cause lung cancer.
Things parents can do to keep children breathing healthy air
Information from the report and other tools can help parents make decisions to reduce the amount of pollution children breathe.
“We make decisions about, do we open windows that day, or do we keep them closed,” Casper said. “I know there are a lot of families who make decisions about what their children can and can’t do on those days,” when air quality is unhealthy.
Using data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and local partners, the website airnow.gov enables users to enter their city or ZIP code, and access the official U.S. Air Quality Index to communicate whether air is healthy or unhealthy in a given location.
“Then you can make those decisions about if you open windows or play outside today,” Casper said.
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