The American Lung Association is the only voluntary health organization dedicated exclusively to supporting 35 million people with chronic lung disease and the 44 million cases of acute respiratory diseases like pneumonia, flu, RSV and COVID-19 each year. Our mission is clear: to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. Every year, we strive to reduce the impact of respiratory illnesses through groundbreaking research, comprehensive advocacy, and public education.
As lung disease continues to impact so many, our work has never been more essential. From the epidemic of youth vaping to the fight against lung cancer and the respiratory effects of COVID-19, our efforts are focused on providing lifesaving resources, advancing medical breakthroughs, and building a future free of lung disease.
We help millions of people each year through our programs and initiatives. Here’s a snapshot of ways we’re making an impact.
Working to Defeat Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., and despite its undeniable impact on our nation, the disease often remains in the shadows. While there are many misconceptions about lung cancer, the fact is that anyone can get it and no one deserves it. About every two minutes, someone in the U.S. learns they have the disease, and every day, lung cancer takes the lives of more than 361 of our friends, neighbors and loved ones.
LUNG FORCE is our nationwide strategic initiative that unites those impacted by lung cancer to raise their voices to defeat this devastating disease. Our "Team Turquoise" is now more than 200,000 voices strong and growing.
Through Walks and Run/Walks and other events, our LUNG FORCE Heroes have raised more than $32 million for lifesaving cancer research since 2014, allowing us to significantly expand our research commitment.
As highlighted in our 7th annual State of Lung Cancer report, the five-year lung cancer survival rate rose to 28.4%, an increase of 52% over the past decade.
Since 2018, lung cancer screening rates have jumped from 4.2% to 16%. Twenty percent of the more than 1.5 million people who have taken our Saved By The Scan quiz learned they qualify for lung cancer screening.
Simultaneously, we are continually developing and improving support resources for lung cancer patients and their caregivers, we are making a difference for the more than 600,000 people in the U.S. impacted by lung cancer.
Championing Clean Air for All
Across the U.S., there are 156 million people living in a place that received a failing grade for air pollution, which means they are breathing unhealthy air that may impact their lung health.
The American Lung Association works to protect public health from unhealthy air pollution by supporting the Clean Air Act and pushing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that everyone in this country has air that is safe and healthy to breathe. This includes encouraging more protective limits on ozone and particle pollution, reducing power plant carbon emissions, and cleaner gasoline and vehicle standards.
Our annual State of the Air report analyzes data from official air quality monitors to easily compare and understand the air quality in your community, and what can be done to help improve the air we breathe.
We have championed clean electricity use and in the United States have seen it climb from 24% in 2020 to 32% in 2024, while zero-emission vehicles grew from 87,000 in 2020 to 4.8 million, a nearly 55-fold increase.
In 2024 we awarded our first indoor air research grant and secured federal funding to empower schools to improve indoor air quality in schools.
We are also building partnerships to support communities affected by devasting wildfires and poor air quality, including distribution of air filters, air cleaners, N-95 masks and air quality sensors.
Improving Quality of Life for Those Living with Lung Disease and Their Families
Over 35 million people in America are living with chronic lung disease like asthma and COPD. This year, there will be 226,650 people diagnosed with lung cancer. And there are up to 44 million cases of acute respiratory diseases like pneumonia, flu, RSV and COVID-19 each year. Through education and support programs for those living with a lung disease, their loved ones and caregivers along with investment in lung health research, the American Lung Association is continually working to reduce the burden of living with a lung disease.
Our Patient and Caregiver Network offers free membership for those impacted by lung disease, providing online communities, discussion groups, lung disease management tools and the Wellness Hub to boost lung health and wellbeing. Our 11 online support communities now serve 253,697 members nationwide, offering a safe, welcoming space for those facing lung cancer, chronic lung conditions, or tobacco cessation challenges. Additionally, through our local Better Breathers Clubs, patients and their caregivers can come together for in-person or online support groups.
The American Lung Association is also the premier resource for any lung-related question from the flu to lung cancer, pneumonia to smoking cessation assistance. Our national Lung HelpLine is staffed by registered nurses, respiratory therapists, certified tobacco treatment specialists and counselors to offer free answers to all of your lung-health related questions and connect you to the resources you need. And our Lung Health Navigators provide free and customized one-on-one education and support for asthma, COPD, pulmonary fibrosis or lung cancer.
Our quest to find cures and new and improved treatments for lung disease includes our Research Institute that has been a cornerstone of our organization for more than a century, and our Airways Clinical Research Network, the nation's largest not-for-profit network of clinical research centers dedicated to asthma and COPD treatment research. We have invested more than $225 million in groundbreaking research since 2000. In 2025, we reached a major milestone—enrolling nearly 3,000 young adults in our Lung Health Cohort Research study of millennials, a multi-year project to gauge lung disease causes and risk factors.
Creating a Tobacco-Free Future
Every year, close to half a million people in the U.S. die from tobacco-caused disease, including more than 41,000 from exposure to secondhand smoke. Unfortunately, this country is currently facing a youth vaping epidemic, causing lung injuries and death. Tragically, each day thousands of kids still pick up tobacco products, including cigarettes or e-cigarettes, for the first time. The cycle of addiction, illness and death continues.
Our tobacco prevention efforts are making a difference: Adult cigarette use dropped from 13.7% in 2018 to 10.8% in FY25, and e-cigarette use among middle and high school students declined from 27% in 2019 to 7.8%, a 72% reduction.
Through the American Lung Association's Freedom From Smoking® program, we have helped over a million Americans on their quest to live smokefree lives. And as a leading voice to end the youth vaping epidemic, we provide resources and support to schools, parents and youth.
We are also working to strengthen laws and policies that protect everyone from secondhand smoke and the deadly effects of tobacco use, including e-cigarettes. Our State of Tobacco Control report tracks progress at the state and federal level and offers proven solutions to reduce tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure across America. We are happy to report that 28 states and the District of Columbia have passed comprehensive laws prohibiting smoking in almost all public places and workplaces. But we won't stop until everyone in all 50 states can enjoy clean, smokefree air where they live, work and play.
Page last updated: November 6, 2025
