Report: Warren County fares better as over 700,000 N.J. children breathe unhealthy air
NEW JERSEY — More than 700,000 children in New Jersey are breathing unhealthy air, according to a new American Lung Association report released Wednesday, which found worsening smog levels across major metro areas even as some regions, including Warren County, showed cleaner air results.
The group’s 27th annual “State of the Air” report found that 706,882 children in New Jersey are exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollution. Statewide, nearly all residents live in metro areas ranked among the nation’s 25 worst for at least one pollution measure, with the exception of Warren County.
The New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA metro area — which includes 13 New Jersey counties — ranked 12th worst in the nation for ozone pollution and received an “F” grade for the third consecutive report, making it the worst in the eastern United States for smog. The ranking was based on an average of 21.2 unhealthy days per year.
The region, however, showed improvement in particle pollution. It ranked 69th worst for short-term particle pollution, earning a “D” grade, and improved enough to receive passing marks for year-round particle pollution, ranking 78th worst nationally.
The Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area, which includes seven New Jersey counties, also worsened. It ranked 43rd worst for ozone pollution with an “F” grade and rose to 17th worst in the nation for year-round particle pollution. It also ranked 27th worst for short-term particle pollution, continuing to receive failing grades despite slight improvements in daily averages.
Across New Jersey, pollution levels varied significantly by county. Gloucester County ranked among the worst in the state for ozone pollution, tied with Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, averaging 6.2 unhealthy days per year. Atlantic and Camden counties were the worst for short-term particle pollution, each earning “D” grades.
Mercer and Union counties recorded the highest year-round average levels of fine particle pollution in the northern region, while Camden County ranked worst statewide for that measure.
Despite those findings, all counties in New Jersey improved enough to earn passing grades for year-round particle pollution, a shift from the previous report when some counties had failed.
Atlantic County stood out as the only New Jersey county listed among the cleanest in the nation for any measure, earning an “A” grade for ozone pollution for the third consecutive year.
Warren County, part of the Allentown-Bethlehem-East Stroudsburg, PA-NJ metro area, showed mixed results. The metro area recorded its best-ever performance for year-round particle pollution, improving from 103rd to 110th worst nationally while continuing to earn a passing grade. Daily particle pollution remained an F despite a slight ranking improvement from 50th to 52nd worst, while ozone pollution improved from 105th to 125th worst but continued to receive a C grade.
Within Warren County, ozone pollution worsened to a B grade after three consecutive reports with A grades. For particle pollution, the county retained a D grade for the daily measure but improved to its second-best performance ever for the year-round average.
Health experts say children are especially vulnerable to air pollution because their lungs are still developing and they breathe more air relative to their body size, increasing their risk of asthma, respiratory illness and long-term health effects.
“Clean air is essential to the health and wellbeing of families across New Jersey. Children deserve to breathe air that won’t make them sick,” said Michael Seilback, AVP, nationwide advocacy, state public policy for the American Lung Association. “Unfortunately, too many people across the state, particularly in several of our metro areas, are living with unhealthy levels of ozone and/or particle pollution. This air pollution is causing kids to have asthma attacks, contributing to chronic health conditions, and making people who work outdoors sick.”
Seilback added: “To compound the issue further, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rollbacks of critical healthy air rules are impacting our residents. We urge Governor Sherrill and the legislature to take action to improve our air quality, including that the state achieves its climate change goals, increasing solar and wind energy, and moving forward with initiatives to reduce air pollution from energy products, from the transportation sector and from buildings; and we are calling on everyone to tell EPA that our kids’ health counts.”
Nationally, the report found that 33.5 million children, or 46% of those under 18, live in areas that received failing grades for at least one measure of air pollution. Overall, 152 million people — 44% of the U.S. population — live in counties with failing grades, and 32.9 million people live in areas that failed all three measures.
The report analyzes data from 2022 through 2024 and evaluates ozone and particle pollution levels, both of which are linked to serious health risks including asthma attacks, heart disease, premature birth and even premature death.
The American Lung Association is urging federal and state leaders to strengthen clean air protections and calling on the public to advocate for policies that reduce pollution and protect children’s health.
