Air pollution takes a toll on your lungs and can be bad for your brain, increasing psychological stress and cognitive decline in adults.
At least 85 cancer cases per year in the state are due to exposure to high levels of air pollution, according to a January 2022 study from Tulane University.
Nevada's status as the second-most polluted state is also seemingly well deserved: In 2021, the American Lung Association also ranked the state's air quality among "the unhealthiest for the most harmful and widespread types of air pollution."
Oregon's website notes that cars and trucks are the state's largest source of air pollution, and frequent wildfires only worsen the state's poor air quality.
Vermont's cities are among the cleanest by air quality in the country, and have particularly low levels of the most harmful types of air pollution, the ALA says.