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There has been a decline in air pollution over much of the eastern U.S., including Washington D.C. and the I-95 corridor since 2005, according to NASA. 

NASA recently released relevant images that show the change in the concentration of nitrogen oxide - a pollutant linked to adverse effects on the respiratory system. 

Providing helpful background information NASA said: "Nitrogen dioxide is one of the six common pollutants regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to protect human health. Alone it can impact the respiratory system, but it also contributes to the formation of other pollutants including ground-level ozone and particulates, which also carry adverse health effects. The gas is produced primarily during the combustion of gasoline in vehicle engines and coal in power plants. It's also a good proxy for the presence of air pollution in general."

NASA also added that Philadelphia experienced a 26 percent decrease in nitrogen dioxide between the 2005-2207 and 2009-2011. 

The decline was also observed in the Western U.S., including Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco. 

"While our air quality has certainly improved over the last few decades, there is still work to do - ozone and particulate matter are still problems," said Bryan Duncan, an atmospheric scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, according to The Washington Post.