The American Lung Association recently released its annual “State of the Air” report, which found nearly half of U.S. children are breathing unhealthy levels of air pollution, including some of Florida’s 4.5 million children.
The association’s report analyzed air quality data from 2022 through 2024, grading unhealthy levels of ozone (smog) and particle pollution (soot) county by county and ranking counties and metro areas for air quality. In total, 44% of people of all ages in the U.S. (152 million people) live in a county that received a failing grade on at least one air pollution measure.
But seven Florida regions appeared in the top 25 “cleanest” lists in ALA’s report, and no Florida regions ranked in the top 25 “worst” lists.
On May 6, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) touted Florida’s air quality rankings in a press release.
“Communities across Florida continue to rank among the cleanest in the nation,” the release said. “The report recognized 21 Florida counties among the nation’s cleanest for ozone pollution and found that no Florida counties were included on its list of the 25 Most Polluted Places to Live.”
Here’s how to find Florida’s daily Air Quality Index numbers, where Florida regions ranked in the ALA report and what to know about how poor air quality can affect your health.
Florida air quality today, how to find daily Air Quality Index map
If you want to check the current air quality in your area, the DEP has an online Air Quality Index (AQI) map that reports air quality by county and city daily.
“Florida is the most populous state in the nation to meet or exceed all federal air quality standards for the fifth consecutive year. Since 2000, industrial emissions in Florida have declined 78 percent, while ozone levels — the most widespread air pollutant — have fallen by nearly half over the past twenty years,” the DEP’s May 6 release said.
“Florida also maintains one of the nation’s most comprehensive air quality monitoring networks, with 180 monitors at 90 sites across the state.”
On May 7, the map showed the majority of Florida’s counties and cities with “good” air quality scores and a few with “moderate” scores.
“The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern. For example, an AQI value of 50 represents good air quality with little potential to affect public health, while an AQI value over 300 indicates hazardous air quality,” the DEP website says.
“Florida rarely has AQI values greater than 100 and has never officially had a value greater than 200.”
There are five categories in the Air Quality Index, ranking from “good” to “very unhealthy”:
Florida cities with the best, worst air quality
Two Florida regions appeared in the ALA’s top 25 cleanest U.S. cities by year-round particle pollution: Gainesville-Lake City and Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville. They both tied for 23rd.
Nearly 3,000 miles away, Bozeman, Montana, ranked at the top of the list. According to the report, it is ranked the “worst” for annual particle pollution out of 211 metropolitan areas, meaning it has the best air quality among U.S. cities.
Five Florida regions appeared on the other top lists:
Fortunately, none of Florida’s cities appear on the “Worst 25” lists for ozone, year-round particle pollution and short-term particle pollution.
But some more populated regions of Florida still have poorer air quality. The ALA found that air quality in the Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale metro area declined slightly, exposing residents to more unhealthy ozone pollution and ranking the region 132nd most polluted in the nation for ozone.
It also placed 83rd for the worst year-round average level of particle pollution.
See the U.S. metro areas with the worst air quality:
What does poor air quality do to your body?
The report found that 32.9 million people live in counties that received failing grades on all three measures. But how does poor air quality actually impact health?
The ALA says its years of scientific research have shown that particle pollution and ozone are a threat to human health at every stage of life. Some of the major respiratory symptoms of air pollution include wheezing and coughing, shortness of breath, asthma attacks and worsening COPD and lung cancer.
Air pollution can also lead to premature death, higher susceptibility to infections, heart attacks and strokes, impaired cognitive functioning and metabolic disorders.
The report says poor air quality can especially have a big impact on children, noting that exposure to air pollution in childhood can cause “longterm harm, including reduced lung growth, new asthma cases and increased risk of respiratory diseases.”
“Infants, children and teens as a group are more susceptible to the health impacts of air pollution. Their lungs are still developing; they breathe more air for their body size than adults, and they are frequently exposed to outdoor air,” the report says.
Lianna Norman and Samantha Neely are trending reporters for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, lotteries, rocket launches, Florida wildlife, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Florida air quality is among the cleanest. How to find air quality map
Reporting by Lianna Norman and Samantha Neely, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Florida Today
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