CHOKED OUT

Almost Half of Americans Are Breathing Unsafe Air: Report

Millions more Americans breathing dirty air.

About 141 million Americans are breathing unsafe air, according to a new report. That's seven million more than last year. The American Lung Association reports that 43% of Americans are now living in places where they are breathing dirty air. Conditions are believed to be getting worse as global temperatures rise because more wildfires are spewing smoke across the country and more smog is forming on warmer days. “We’re seeing in this year’s report the impacts of climate change on air quality in really stunning terms,” said Paul Billings, a vice president for the association. California, Bakersfield and the Fresno area had some of the worst air quality in the country—Los Angeles continued to rank worst for smog.