Air Pollution Measures Worsen in Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA Metro Area: Daily Particle Pollution Drops from C to F; 36th Worst in Nation for Ozone Smog, 2nd Worst in Mid-Atlantic

Today, the American Lung Association released the 2025 “State of the Air” report, which reveals that Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA metro area measures worsen as 2023 wildfire smoke contributes to poor air quality. The metro area was named 36th most polluted in the nation and 2nd worst in Mid-Atlantic (after New York-Newark metro area) for ozone smoke pollution. The metro area’s grade for daily particle pollution worsens from a C to an F. Nationally, the report found that 156 million people (46%) are living in areas that had unhealthy levels of air pollution.

The Lung Association’s 26th annual “State of the Air” report grades exposure to unhealthy levels of ground-level ozone air pollution (also known as smog), and year-round and short-term spikes in particle pollution (also known as soot) over a three-year period. The report looks at the latest quality-assured air quality data from 2021-2023.

"The air pollutants highlighted in this report are widespread and pose a risk to everyone’s health. Both ozone and particle pollution can lead to premature death and cause serious health issues such as asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, preterm births, and even problems with cognitive function later in life. Particle pollution can also increase the risk of lung cancer,” said Aleks Casper, Director of Advocacy, DC, MD, VA, DE, American Lung Association.

“Sadly, too many people in the metro area are living with dangerous levels of ozone and particle pollution. This pollution is making kids have asthma attacks, causing people who work outdoors to get sick and unable to work, and even contributing to low birth weight in babies. We’re urging District policymakers to continue their commitment to   improve our air quality., We’re also calling on everyone to support the vital work of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).”

Ground-level Ozone Pollution in the Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA metro area:

The “State of the Air” report looked at levels of ozone “smog,” the air pollutant affecting the largest number of people in the United States. The metro area ranked 36th worst in the nation for ozone pollution. The ranking was based on the area’s worst county’s average number of unhealthy days—7.5 days per year, an F grade, in Baltimore County, Maryland. This was worse than the area's ranking in last year's report of 44th worst, with 4.3 days per year, an F grade. 

Particle Pollution in the Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA metro area:

The report also tracked short-term spikes in particle pollution, which can be extremely dangerous and even deadly. The metro area ranked 53rd worst in the nation for short-term particle pollution. The ranking was based on the area’s worst county’s average number of unhealthy days—3.7 days per year, an F grade, in the District of Columbia. This was worse than the area's ranking in last year's report of 64th worst, with 1.7 days per year, a C grade. 

For the year-round average level of particle pollution, the area’s worst county, Berkeley County, West Virginia, received a failing grade for pollution levels above the federal standard. The metro area ranked 66th worst in the nation. This was worse than the area's ranking in last year's report of 90th worst in the nation, when it received a passing grade.

In addition to the Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA metro area, other notable findings across the Mid-Atlantic include:

• Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD ranked 3rd worst in Mid-Atlantic for both ozone smog and daily particle pollution. It also ranked 26th worst in the country for year-round particle levels, 2nd worst in the Mid-Atlantic.
•  All air pollution measures for Virginia Beach-Chesapeake, VA-NC metro area worsen slightly. Daily particle pollution was among cleanest but now earns a B grade.
• Harrisburg-York-Lebanon metro area worsens for both ozone smog and daily particle pollution, dropping from B to D for ozone smog and from C to F for daily particle pollution. The metro area ranks third worst in the Mid-Atlantic (32nd worst in nation) with a failing grade for year-round particle pollution.

The “State of the Air” report found that 156 million people in the U.S. (46%) live in an area that received a failing grade for at least one measure of air pollution and 42.5 million people live in areas with failing grades for all three measures. The report also found that a person of color in the U.S. is more than twice as likely as a white individual to live in a community with a failing grade on all three pollution measures. Notably, Hispanic individuals are nearly three times as likely as white individuals to live in a community with three failing grades.

In this year’s “State of the Air” report, the Lung Association is calling on everyone to support the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. EPA is essential to protecting people’s health from ozone and particle pollution. Without EPA staff and programs, families won’t know what’s in the air they are breathing, and efforts to clean up air pollution will be undone. Join the American Lung Association in advocating to protect EPA’s expert staff and lifesaving programs. See the full report results and take action at Lung.org/sota.