"For 152 million Americans, including nearly half of the nation's children and teens, just breathing air in the places they live can be harmful. According to the American Lung Association's latest State of the Air report, 44% of the U.S. population reside in areas with unhealthy levels of pollution, including 33 million who are younger than 18.
Experts have warned for years that kids are particularly susceptible to the consequences of pollution exposure. Young people are deemed more vulnerable because they have developing lungs, relatively large air consumption needs compared with adults and spend more time outdoors.
"We recognize that there's a connection between air pollution and exposure in children and chronic diseases," said Kevin Stewart, the director of environmental health at the American Lung Association and one of the report's co-authors. "The problems aren't necessarily immediate, in terms of just sending a child with asthma to the hospital. It also can affect the induction of asthma in children who ordinarily wouldn't have gotten it, or reduce lung function over their lifetime because they've been exposed as children.""
Emily Mae Czachor reports for CBS News April 22, 2026.
SEE ALSO:
"State of the Air 2026" (American Lung Association)
"Fighting For The ‘Luxury’ Of Air In Kentucky’s Worst Region For Pollution" (Kentucky Lantern)
"Almost Half of America’s Kids Are Breathing Toxic Air" (Inside Climate News)
