Metro Atlanta suffers from the third-worst levels of ozone pollution, also known as smog, in the Southeast, according to a study released on Wednesday by the American Lung Association.
The group’s annual “State of the Air” report also ranks the Atlanta region as the fourth-worst in the Southeast for particle pollution, also known colloquially as soot.
The new report measured air quality nationwide from 2021 to 2023. It found that nearly half of the U.S. population live in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution.
“Unfortunately, too many people in the Atlanta metro area are living with unhealthy levels of ozone and particle pollution,” said Danna Thompson, advocacy director for the lung association in Georgia.
The new report also ranked the Augusta area fourth-worst in the Southeast for soot, although the study also found that part of Georgia to be among the cleanest in the nation for smog.