American Lung Association report gives Perry County mixed air quality news

Perry County got a split verdict in the American Lung Association’s 2026 State of the Air report: an A grade for ozone, but a D for short-term particle pollution, the worst daily particle-pollution mark in Kentucky. For families in Perry County, that means the county can look relatively better on one major pollutant while still facing unhealthy spikes on the days when smoke, dust and other fine particles build up in the air.

The report graded counties using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data from 2022 through 2024 and measured three categories: ozone, year-round particle pollution and short-term particle pollution. In Kentucky, only 25 of 120 counties could be graded for at least one measure, which means the picture is incomplete in some places because monitor placement depends on state and federal monitoring networks. Still, Perry County’s grades put it squarely in the public-health conversation: good news on ozone, but a daily-pollution result that stands out for the wrong reason.

That short-term particle pollution grade matters most on the days people feel it fastest. Orange, red, purple and maroon AQI days carry increasing health risk, and particle pollution can be especially hard on children in school, older adults, people with asthma and workers who spend long hours outside. In practical terms, a county with a D on the daily measure can see more days when a coach, a teacher, a parent or a roadside worker needs to think twice before pushing a full afternoon outdoors, especially in warmer months when pollution and heat can stack together.

Across Kentucky, the report showed some improvement in the longer-term picture. Jefferson County was the worst county in the state for year-round particle pollution, but all Kentucky counties graded on that measure now earned passing marks. Nationally, the report said 44 percent of Americans, or 152.3 million people, lived in places that received failing grades for unhealthy ozone or particle pollution, and 46 percent of U.S. children, or 33.5 million, lived in counties that failed at least one measure. In Kentucky alone, the Lung Association said 176,359 children were breathing unhealthy levels of air pollution.

For Perry County, the report becomes a benchmark for the next round of comparisons. The ozone grade was strong, but the short-term particle pollution result showed that air quality remains uneven, and that unevenness still carries real costs for respiratory health, summer activities and day-to-day life in the county.