131 Million Americans Live in Areas With Dangerous Air Pollution Levels, Report Finds

AJMC July 1, 2024
Brooke McCormick

Munaf Siyamwala, MD, a pulmonary critical care and internal medicine physician at Centerpoint Medical Center in Independence, Missouri, summarized the American Lung Association’s 2024 State of the Air report, which found that about 131 million Americans live in areas with unhealthy ozone and particle pollution levels.

In an interview with The American Journal of Managed Care^® (AJMC^®), he explained that patients with chronic lung diseases, especially those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), need personalized action plans to manage flare-ups exacerbated by poor air quality and extreme weather conditions.

This transcript was lightly edited.

AJMC: Could you summarize the findings of the 2024 State of the Air report?

Siyamwala: The State of the Air report actually began in 2000. Even...