Annual emissions of various air pollutants in the United States have experienced dramatic reductions over the past half a century. As of 2023, emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) had reduced by more than 70 percent since 1970 to 6.8 million tons. Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions have also fallen dramatically in recent decades, dropping from 23 million tons to 1.6 million tons between 1990 and 2023. Air pollutants can pose serious health hazards to humans, with the number of air pollution related deaths in the U.S. averaging 60,000 a year.
Air pollutant emissions in the United States from 1970 to 2023, by pollutant
(in 1,000 tons)
* Pre-1990 data are unavailable.
Wildfire emissions excluded for all pollutants except for NH₃ pre-2002; PM emissions also exclude miscellaneous emissions (i.e. agricultural dust and prescribed fire emissions).
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Environmental Protection Agency. (February 9, 2024). Air pollutant emissions in the United States from 1970 to 2023, by pollutant (in 1,000 tons) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved October 08, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1139418/air-pollutant-emissions-by-type-us/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Air pollutant emissions in the United States from 1970 to 2023, by pollutant (in 1,000 tons)." Chart. February 9, 2024. Statista. Accessed October 08, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1139418/air-pollutant-emissions-by-type-us/
Environmental Protection Agency. (2024). Air pollutant emissions in the United States from 1970 to 2023, by pollutant (in 1,000 tons). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: October 08, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1139418/air-pollutant-emissions-by-type-us/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Air Pollutant Emissions in The United States from 1970 to 2023, by Pollutant (in 1,000 Tons)." Statista, Statista Inc., 9 Feb 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1139418/air-pollutant-emissions-by-type-us/
Environmental Protection Agency, Air pollutant emissions in the United States from 1970 to 2023, by pollutant (in 1,000 tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1139418/air-pollutant-emissions-by-type-us/ (last visited October 08, 2024)
Air pollutant emissions in the United States from 1970 to 2023, by pollutant (in 1,000 tons) [Graph], Environmental Protection Agency, February 9, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1139418/air-pollutant-emissions-by-type-us/
