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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Have levels of six common air pollutants gone down since 2016?

By William Boger
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YES

The Environmental Protection Agency classifies six common air pollutants as "criteria" pollutants: carbon monoxide, lead, ground-level ozone, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide. The agency reports that they have fallen 7% since 2017, continuing a decades-long fall since 1970.

Air quality measures are complex, varying with location, weather patterns and influences such as wildfires. A federal "air toxics" assessment widely used by local authorities was last published in 2018, using data from 2014. Greenhouse gas emissions, included in the EPA's regulatory scope because of their long-term effect of trapping more heat in the atmosphere, increased 1.8% in 2017 and 3.4% in 2018.

The impact of ongoing EPA regulatory changes under the Trump Administration has yet to be measured.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
EPA: 2020 report on air quality
EPA: Hazardous air pollutants
EPA: 2014 Air toxics assessment
EPA: Greenhouse gas emissions
EPA: 2020 update greenhouse gas emissions and sinks from 1990 to 2018
Brookings: Tracking deregulation efforts
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.