Portrait of woman wearing mask inside airplane while reading safety instructions.

Madison County's air quality has received a grade of "F" from the American Lung Association.

The group's 2022 "State of the Air" report released Thursday states that, despite decades of progress in cleaning up sources of air pollution, more than 40% of Americans are living in places with failing grades for unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution.

The report issued a "D" air rating for St. Clair County and "C" ratings for Jersey and Macoupin counties. There is no monitor collecting data for Greene and Calhoun counties.

Across the river, the report issued a "D" rating for Jefferson County and "F" ratings for the city of St. Louis as well as St. Charles and St. Louis counties.

For the sixth consecutive year, the St. Louis region escaped being ranked among the top 25 most ozone-polluted cities in the U.S., coming in at No. 37.

"We’re pleased to see that St. Louis has once again avoided the list of most ozone-polluted cities, but the data still clearly shows that we’re far from a clean bill of health for our region,” said Susannah Fuchs, Director of Clean Air for the American Lung Association in Missouri.

“With summer just weeks away – when we’re at greater risk for higher levels of ozone pollution – it’s important that area residents stay informed about the quality of the air we breathe and continue to take voluntary steps to reduce emissions to help improve outcomes,” she said.

A new air pollution campaign, “Don’t Pollute. Switch Up Your Commute,” was launched earlier in May by more than half a dozen partners who provide an array of transportation options that extend beyond driving in single-occupancy. This summer people can visit www.SwitchUpYourCommute.com to download color-coded air quality forecasts: green is good, yellow is moderate, orange means unhealthy for sensitive groups and red is unhealthy.

When an orange or red air quality day is forecasted, people who have registered for a daily air quality forecast will receive a text message asking them if they plan to modify their commute the following day, and how. Respondents who post a picture of themselves on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter taking transit, carpooling, vanpooling or telecommuting on a poor air quality day and include #SwitchUpYourCommute will be entered to win prizes through Sept. 30. 

According to the American Lung Association, the report indicates 2.1 million more people are breathing unhealthy air compared to the years covered by last year's report for 2017-2019.

“Research shows that exposure to traffic-related pollution is a serious health hazard for everyone, but especially for populations most at risk, such as children and older adults, people of color, people experiencing poverty and individuals with underlying health conditions,” Fuchs said.

Additional air quality information can be accessed at www.cleanair-stlouis.com.  To access the American Lung Association’s 2022 “State of the Air” report, visit www.lung.org. 

Ron DeBrock is a 40-year journalist who has led publications in Illinois, Arkansas and Missouri. He joined The Telegraph in Alton in 2019 as its managing editor.