New ‘State of the Air’ Report Finds Tucson Metro Area Sees Improvement in Ozone and Particle Pollution Levels

Today, the American Lung Association released the 2025 “State of the Air” report, which reveals that Tucson-Nogales metro area was named 48th most polluted in the nation for year-round particle pollution. 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 covered in this report are widespread and can impact anyone’s health. Both ozone and particle pollution can cause premature death and other serious health effects such as asthma attacks, heart attacks and strokes, preterm births and impaired cognitive functioning later in life. Particle pollution can also cause lung cancer,” said Melissa Ramos, Senior Manager of Advocacy for the American Lung Association. “Unfortunately, too many people in Tucson-Nogales metro area are living with unhealthy levels of ozone and particle pollution. This air pollution is causing kids to have asthma attacks, making people who work outdoors sick and unable to work, and leading to low birth weight in babies. We urge Arizona policymakers to take action to improve our air quality, and we are calling on everyone to support the incredibly important work of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).”

Ground-level Ozone Pollution in the Tucson-Nogales, AZ 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 Tucson-Nogales, AZ metro area ranked 62nd worst in the nation for ozone pollution. The ranking was based on the area’s worst county’s average number of unhealthy days—4.3 days per year, an F grade, in Pima County, Arizona. This was better than the area's ranking in last year's report of 33rd worst, with 5.7 days per year, an F grade. 

Particle Pollution in the Tucson-Nogales, AZ metro area:

The report also tracked short-term spikes in particle pollution, which can be extremely dangerous and even deadly. The Tucson-Nogales, AZ metro area ranked 119th 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—1.5 days per year, a C grade, in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. This was better than the area's ranking in last year's report of 45th worst, with 3 days per year, a D grade. 

For the year-round average level of particle pollution, the area’s worst county, Santa Cruz County, Arizona, received a failing grade for pollution levels above the federal standard. The Tucson-Nogales, AZ metro area ranked 48th worst in the nation. This was better than the area's ranking in last year's report of 27th worst in the nation.

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.