Take a deep breath , Central Florida: we’ve got good news.
The Orlando metro area — which includes Flagler, Hardee, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia counties — was ranked among the cleanest in the U.S. for both ozone and short-term particle pollution , according to the American Lung Association ’s 25th annual “State of the Air” report , which looked at air quality data from 2020 through 2022.
However, for the seventh year in a row, the year-round particle pollution in the Central Florida area was worse.
“In the 25 years that the American Lung Association has been doing our ‘State of the Air’ report, we have seen incredible improvement in the nation’s air quality. Unfortunately, more than 131 million people still live in places with unhealthy levels of air pollution, and Orlando still has work to do,” said Ashley Lyerly, ALA’s Senior Director of Advocacy.
The 2024 report grades exposure to unhealthy levels of ground-level ozone air pollution, the ALA said, plus both annual particle pollution and short-term spikes over a three-year period. Ozone and particle pollution can cause shortness of breath and coughing, an increased risk of respiratory infections, and can send people with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to the hospital, the ALA said.