Breathing in central Indiana is officially a problem. A new air-quality report says the Indianapolis–Carmel–Muncie metro ranks near the top among the nation’s worst regions for particle pollution and hands out failing grades for both smog and soot. Findings from the American Lung Association, released this week, warn that hundreds of thousands of Hoosier children and outdoor workers are routinely exposed to unhealthy air. Public-health groups say the numbers should put serious pressure on state and federal officials to act.
What the report found
According to the American Lung Association’s 2026 State of the Air report, which analyzed monitoring data from 2022–2024, the Indianapolis–Carmel–Muncie region ranked 11th worst in the U.S. for year-round particle pollution (PM2.5) and 14th for short-term spikes. Marion County received F grades for ozone and daily particle pollution. The ALA’s state release says about 674,499 children in Indiana live in counties that received at least one failing grade for air quality. As reported by IndyStar, the rankings…..