Agriculture is a major contributor to air pollution, the largest environmental risk factor for mortality in the United States and worldwide. It is largely unknown, however, how individual foods or entire diets affect human health via poor air quality. We show how food production negatively impacts human health by increasing atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), and we identify ways to reduce these negative impacts of agriculture. We quantify the air quality–related health damages attributable to 95 agricultural commodities and 67 final food products, which encompass >99% of agricultural production in the United States. Agricultural production in the United States results in 17,900 annual air quality–related deaths, 15,900 of which are from food production. Of those, 80% are attributable to animal-based foods, both directly from animal production and indirectly from growing animal feed. On-farm interventions can reduce PM_2.5-related mortality by 50%, including improved livestock waste management and fertilizer application practices that reduce emissions of ammonia, a secondary PM_2.5 precursor, and improved crop and animal production practices that reduce primary PM_2.5 emissions from tillage, field burning, livestock dust, and machinery. Dietary shifts toward more plant-based foods that maintain protein intake and other nutritional needs could reduce agricultural air quality–related mortality by 68 to 83%. In sum, improved livestock and fertilization practices, and dietary shifts could greatly decrease the health impacts of agriculture caused by its contribution to reduced air quality.

农业是造成空气污染的主要原因，空气污染是美国和全世界死亡的最大环境风险因素。然而，目前尚不清楚个别食物或整个饮食如何通过不良空气质量影响人类健康。我们展示了粮食生产如何通过增加大气细颗粒物 (PM _2.5 ) 对人类健康产生负面影响，并找出减少农业这些负面影响的方法。我们量化了 95 种农产品和 67 种最终食品（涵盖美国农业生产的 99% 以上）与空气质量相关的健康损害。美国的农业生产每年导致 17,900 人因空气质量相关死亡，其中 15,900 人死于粮食生产。其中，80% 来自动物性食品，既直接来自动物生产，也间接来自种植动物饲料。农场干预措施可将 PM _2.5相关死亡率降低 50%，包括改进牲畜废物管理和施肥实践，以减少氨（二次 PM _2.5前体）的排放，以及改进农作物和动物生产实践，以减少初级 PM _2.5排放。耕作、田地燃烧、牲畜粉尘和机械。饮食转向更多植物性食品，以维持蛋白质摄入量和其他营养需求，可以将农业空气质量相关死亡率降低 68% 至 83%。总之，改进牲畜和施肥方法以及饮食转变可以大大减少农业因空气质量下降而对健康造成的影响。