Why is Air Quality important?

According to the American Lung Association, each of us takes up to 20,000 breaths per day. This is an average of up to 3,400 gallons of air that we inhale on a daily basis.

In 2002, the World Health Organization reported that about three million people die each year from the effects of air pollution. Carbon monoxide from cars reduces the ability of blood to bring oxygen to body cells and tissues (National Transportation Library). Exposure to vehicle exhaust increases the risk of death from lung disease and lung cancer (American Cancer Association).

On top of that, asthma (another harmful effect of excessive air pollution) is the third leading cause of hospitalization among children under the age of 15 (American Lung Association). This is especially because, according to the EPA, children breath 50% more air per pound than adults.  Diesel exhaust from cars contains microscopic soot about 200 times smaller then the period at the end of this sentence. Toxic pollutants such as those that cars send out into the atmosphere account for almost five percent of the hospital admissions for heart disease (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences).

Car exhaust contains very small particles and 40 chemicals that are classified as “hazardous air pollutants” under the Clean Air Act.

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What is Ozone?

There are actually two kinds of ozone in the atmosphere. Ozone high above the earth, known as the ozone layer and ground-level ozone.

In recent years we have heard a lot about the depletion of the ozone layer in the stratosphere. This stratospheric ozone layer provides a protective barrier that blocks harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun reaching earth. Stratospheric ozone is good and is essential for protecting life on earth.

However, ozone at  ground-level in the atmosphere is harmful. The concentration of ozone and other air pollutants in urban areas is typically known as smog. When people usually think about smog, they picture a thick brown layer over Los Angeles. They don't usually think of a hot Midwest summer day with a lots of sunshine and a hazy blue sky. Unfortunately, ground-level ozone reaches unhealthy levels in urban areas throughout the Midwest. In northwest Indiana, unhealthy ground-level ozone concentrations are regularly a problem during summer months.

Ground-level ozone pollution is unhealthy for everyone and is especially harmful to people with lung disease and asthma. Children are especially susceptible to the effects of smog. Ozone Action Days are a voluntary educational program that provides a much needed health alert for the public.

Although, by itself, ozone cannot be seen or tasted, it can irritate lungs and make breathing difficult. The urban haze that we call smog contains several pollutants that react to form ozone. Most of these pollutants come from automobiles. Large factories also account for a portion of the emissions. Businesses such as printing plants, service stations and auto body shops also contribute, as do people using lawnmowers, paints and cleaning solvents.

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What is the Air Quality Index?

The AQI is an index for reporting daily air quality provided by AirNow, a government-funded website designed to provide the public with easy access to national air quality information. 

The index tells you how clean or polluted your air is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for you. EPA calculates the AQI for five major air pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act: ground-level ozone, particle pollution (also known as particulate matter), carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. For each of these pollutants, EPA has established national air quality standards to protect public health.

The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern.

For a copy of the AQI click here.

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How can I reduce air pollution?

Here are ten tips to help reduce air pollution that you can take:

1. Care for your car. Regular maintenance and tune-ups, changing the oil, and checking tire inflation can improve gas mileage, reduce traffic congestion due to preventable breakdowns, and it could reduce your car’s emissions by more than half.

2. Trip Chain. It’s easy! It’s when you combine errands into one trip.  When you first start a car after it has been sitting for more than an hour; it pollutes up to five times more than when the engine is warm.

3. Don’t top off the tank. Extra gas fumes released promote ground-level ozone production.

4. Get fuel when it is cool. Refueling during cooler periods of the day or in the evening can prevent gas fumes from heating up and creating ground-level ozone.

5. Know before you go. Get travel updates before you leave home to avoid getting stuck in a jam, which wastes your fuel and pollutes the air.

6. Bike-it there. It’s a great way to travel and it can help you and the air get into a healthier condition.

7. Take things in stride. Walk or in-line skate instead of driving. These are easy ways to exercise and they are also beneficial for the air.

8. Share a ride. Even if you carpool or vanpool just once or twice a week, you’ll decrease traffic congestion, reduce pollution, and save money. Visit www.sharethedrive.org for more information.

9. Don’t use gas-powered lawn equipment during an Air Quality Action Day. Lawn-care machines can be heavy polluters - one hour of mowing can pollute as much as driving hundreds of miles.

10. Take a deep breath and start talking. Spread the word on what’s up with air pollution in northwest Indiana, and let folks know that even if our individual efforts are little, “It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air.” 

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