44% of Americans breathe dangerously polluted air. In California, it's 82%

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Greater Los Angeles remained the most ozone-polluted metro area in the nation, according to the American Lung Assn.’s 2026 State of the Air report, which found that Southern California continues to face some of the country’s dirtiest air.The report, released on Wednesday, ranked Los Angeles-Long Beach as the worst U.S.metro area for ozone pollution, with an average of 159.2 unhealthy ozone days a year.

The region also ranked seventh worst nationally for annual particle pollution and seventh worst for short-term particle pollution.The American Lung Assn., or ALA, assigns grades based on the number of unhealthy air days and the severity of pollution levels, using federal air quality standards.Los Angeles County received failing grades across all three categories measured in the report: ozone, short-term particle pollution and annual particle pollution.Riverside and San Bernardino counties also failed all three measures.Orange County received an F for ozone, a failing grade for annual particle pollution and a C for short-term particle pollution.Ground-level ozone, often called “smog,” is a corrosive gas that forms when pollution from vehicles and other sources reacts in heat and sunlight.

It can irritate the lungs and trigger serious breathing problems.Short-term and annual particle pollution refer to fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5.These microscopic particles come from sources such as vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions and wildfires.

Because they are small enough to enter the bloodstream, they are linked to asthma attacks, heart disease, strokes and lung cancer, according to Will Barrett, assistant vice president for Nationwide Clean Air Policy at the ALA.Climate & Environment In the days after the devastating wildfires, air monitors recorded some of the highest levels of air pollution in recent years, coinciding with a surge in hospital visits.The report...