New Report Examines Charleston’s Air Quality; Is Among Cleanest in Nation for Daily Particle Pollution

According to the American Lung Association’s “State of the Air” report, released today, Charleston’s air quality had mixed results. It ranked among the cleanest cities in the nation for levels of daily particle pollution. However, levels of ozone smog increased. Additionally, the report found that nearly half of the U.S. population live in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution. Extreme heat and wildfires contributed to worsening air quality in much of the country.

The Lung Association’s 26th annual “State of the Air” report grades exposure to unhealthy levels of ozone pollution, also known as “smog,” and particle pollution, also known as “soot,” over a three-year period (2021-2023). Findings for the Charleston metro area include:

• Ground-level Ozone Pollution:
  • Number of Unhealthy Days per Year: 0.7 days (0 days in 2024 report)
  • Grade: B (A in 2024 report)
  • National Ranking: 149th worst out of 228 (tied for 1st cleanest in 2024 report)
• Short-Term Spikes in Particle Pollution:
  • Number of Unhealthy Days Per Year: 0 days (0.3 days in 2024 report)
  • Grade: A (B in 2024 report)
  • National Ranking: 204th worst out of 223 (124th worst in 2024 report)
• Year-Round Average Level of Particle Pollution:
  • Grade: Incomplete Data (passing grade in 2024 report)
  • National Ranking: Incomplete Data (166th worst in 2024 report)

Ozone and particle pollution are widespread and can impact anyone’s health. Both pollutants 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.

“Unfortunately, too many people in the Charleston metro area are living with unhealthy levels of ozone pollution. This air pollution is a threat to human health at every stage of life—increasing the risk of premature birth and low birth weight in babies to causing or worsening lung and heart disease to shortening lives,” said Danna Thompson, director of advocacy at the Lung Association in South Carolina. “We urge South Carolina 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). Without EPA staff and programs, South Carolinians won’t know what’s in the air they’re breathing, and efforts to clean up air pollution will be undone.”

In addition to the Charleston metro area, other notable findings across South Carolina include:

• While ozone pollution increased in the Columbia metro area, year-round levels of particle pollution improved.
• All air pollution measures worsened in the Greenville metro area.

“Clean air is a basic human right. The American Lung Association’s annual State of the Air report is a powerful reminder that protecting our environment means protecting our health—especially for the most vulnerable among us,” said Andrea Serrano, member of the Lung Association’s South Carolina Leadership Board. “Please join me in supporting a healthier, more breathable future for all by signing the petition at Lung.org/sota.”

The “State of the Air” report relies on data from air quality monitors managed by state, local and Tribal air pollution control authorities in counties across the U.S. In South Carolina, only 14 out of 46 counties could be graded for at least one measure of air quality. This underscores the need for more monitors and access to air quality data so that people and communities can take measures to safeguard their health. 

On a national level, 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. 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.

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. 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.

Get involved and help the mission of American Lung Association. The Charleston Oxygen Ball is coming up on Friday, May 9. Learn more at CharlestonOxygenBall.org.