New Jersey's air quality from 2021-2023

The following map shows N.J.'s air quality grades, based on data from 2021 to 2023. Air quality data for the Garden State was obtained from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality System (AQS). Hover over each N.J. county for information (data was not collected for all areas).

American Lung Association experts describe "ozone" as an invisible gas, sometimes called smog, that forms on particularly hot days. They likened the health impacts of smog to getting a sunburn on the tissue of one’s lungs — resulting in wheezing, or in worst-case scenarios asthma and heart attacks. Particle pollution, also referred to as soot, derives from any sort of combustion, be it a diesel engine or wildfire. Heavy exposure to fine particulates can also mean devastating health effects like strokes and lung cancer.
Chart: NJ Advance Media (via Datawrapper)Source: American Lung AssociationGet the dataEmbed Created with Datawrapper