Air Pollution | CDC

Climate change is projected to harm human health by increasing ground-level ozone and/or particulate matter air pollution in some locations. Skipdirectlytositecontent Skipdirectlytopageoptions SkipdirectlytoA-Zlink ClimateandHealth SectionNavigation CDCHome Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate AirPollution Minus RelatedPages Climatechangeisprojectedtoharmhumanhealthbyincreasingground-levelozoneand/orparticulatematterairpollutioninsomelocations.Ground-levelozone(akeycomponentofsmog)isassociatedwithmanyhealthproblems,suchasdiminishedlungfunction,increasedhospitaladmissionsandemergencyroomvisitsforasthma,andincreasesinprematuredeaths. Factorsthataffectozoneformationincludeheat,concentrationsofprecursorchemicals,andmethaneemissions.Particulatematterconcentrationsareaffectedbywildfireemissionsandairstagnationepisodes,amongotherfactors.Byincreasingthesedifferentfactors,climatechangeisprojectedtoleadtoincreasedconcentrationsofozoneandparticulatematterinsomeregions.Increasesinglobaltemperaturescouldcauseassociatedincreasesinprematuredeathsrelatedtoworsenedozoneandparticlepollution. Estimatesthatassumenochangeinregulatorycontrolsorpopulationcharacteristicshaverangedfrom1,000to4,300additionalprematuredeathsnationallyperyearby2050fromcombinedozoneandparticlehealtheffects.Lesscertaintyexistsabouttheresponsesofairborneparticlestoclimatechangethantheresponseofozone.Health-relatedcostsofthecurrenteffectsofozoneairpollutionexceedingnationalstandardshavebeenestimatedat$6.5billion(in2008U.S.dollars)nationwide,basedonaU.S.assessmentofhealthimpactsfromozonelevelsduring2000–2002. Watchashortvideoaboutairqualitychanges,andlearnwhatcommunitiescandotoprepare. CDCAirPollutionResources: AirQuality –informationandresourcesonairpollutants,particlepollution,andotherrelevanttopics Asthma –guidanceonasthmasymptoms,triggers,andmanagement AirQualityandAsthmaData–TrackingPortal –interactivemaps,tables,andcharts ClimateChangeDecreasestheQualityoftheAirWeBreathepdficon[PDF–110KB] Pagelastreviewed:December21,2020 Contentsource: NationalCenterforEnvironmentalHealth homeClimateandHealthClimateEffectsonHealthplusiconAirPollutionAllergensplusiconAllergens&PollenWildfiresTemperatureExtremesPrecipitationExtremesDiseasesCarriedbyVectorsFoodandWaterborneDiarrhealDiseaseFoodSecurityMentalHealthandStress-RelatedDisordersRegionalHealthEffectsplusiconAlaskaHawaiiandU.S.-AffiliatedPacificIslandsMidwestNortheastNorthernGreatPlainsNorthwestSoutheastSouthernGreatPlainsSouthwestU.S.CaribbeanClimate-ReadyStates&CitiesInitiativeplusiconClimateandHealthAdaptationinActionCRSCIGranteesBRACEFrameworkWhat'sNewResourcesplusiconGuidanceandTrainingsClimateandHealthEvaluationWebinarsplusiconClimateandHealthScienceWebinarSeriesDataandToolsVideosExternalResourcesCoreFunctionsPublicationsPolicyPartners Facebook Twitter LinkedIn SAS stats ExitNotification/DisclaimerPolicy Close LinkswiththisiconindicatethatyouareleavingtheCDCwebsite. TheCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention(CDC)cannotattesttotheaccuracyofanon-federalwebsite. Linkingtoanon-federalwebsitedoesnotconstituteanendorsementbyCDCoranyofitsemployeesofthesponsorsortheinformationandproductspresentedonthewebsite. Youwillbesubjecttothedestinationwebsite'sprivacypolicywhenyoufollowthelink. CDCisnotresponsibleforSection508compliance(accessibility)onotherfederalorprivatewebsite. FormoreinformationonCDC'swebnotificationpolicies,seeWebsiteDisclaimers. Cancel Continue