Anyone can be affected by air pollution. Groups of people most at risk include:

• Children. Young kids are especially susceptible to negative impacts of air pollution because their airways are small and still developing. Kids also breathe more air relative to their size than do adults. In addition, their immune systems are still developing.   
• Older adults. It is more difficult for older immune systems to protect the lungs from inhaled air contaminants. Exposure to air pollution may make older adults more susceptible to infections including pneumonia. Older adults also have more chronic illnesses, such as COPD or heart disease, which can be made worse by unhealthy air. 
• Pregnant people. Pregnant people and their fetuses are especially susceptible to harm from environmental contaminants including air pollution. Greater exposure to air pollution during pregnancy has been shown to be associated with premature birth, low birth weight and stillbirth. 
• People with chronic health conditions. Breathing air pollution puts additional stress on the lungs, heart, and other organs that may already be compromised by underlying disease. This can result in worsening of chronic disease symptoms.  
• People of color. Due to a long history of discrimination and redlining, communities of people of color are more likely to live in places with higher air pollution. People of color are also more likely to be living with chronic conditions, therefore putting people of color even more at risk of harm due to air pollution.   
• People in lower income communities. Lower-income communities may have less access to quality healthcare access and healthcare coverage, making them more likely to suffer more severe impacts of air pollution. Lower income communities may also have less access to green space and trees, which can absorb harmful particulate matter. Lower-wealth communities are also more likely to be located near busy streets and industrial sites, where air pollution is usually worse.  
• People who spend a lot of time outdoors. Workers who are mostly outdoors can face higher risk because they are outside more often on bad air days. Although outdoor activity offers many health benefits, anyone who spends a lot of time outside is at risk of greater exposure to outdoor air pollutants.  

Virginia’s Environmental Public Health program provides a “Data Embedded Visualization” (a mirror image) of all air quality data available from CDC Environmental Public Health Tracking Network. CDC works closely with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), and the National Weather Service to provide air quality data. Air quality data on the Data Explorer includes both modeled and monitored data.