The Air Quality Index is maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency. The index indicates how polluted or clean the air in a specific area is. There are five levels of air quality that range from good which is green to hazardous which is a deep maroon. In the middle you will find unhealthy for sensitive groups which is orange. The five pollutants that are monitored are ozone at ground level, carbon monoxide, particle pollution, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide.
While air quality is important for all citizens, especially when it reaches the more polluted stages of unhealthy, very unhealthy, or hazardous, it is more helpful for people with preexisting conditions that make them more sensitive to air pollution. People with asthma are especially sensitive to the air quality around them. Air pollution can trigger asthma attacks and make asthma symptoms markedly worse. By monitoring the air quality index people with asthma, and other medical conditions, can plan their activities around the air quality of their region and adjust scheduled activities if the index indicates reduced air quality. Further, knowing irritants are present allows people to keep adequate medications on hand to limit severe health problems associated with exposure to poor air quality.
Other health problems that may be exasperated by exposure to poor air quality inclue bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia, congestive heart failure, abnormal heart rhythms, and coronary artery disease. Reduced air quality can cause symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, fatigue, and, in people with coronary problems, palpitations, and chest pain.
Learn about clean air is important for your health and the environment. There is a section on the site dedicated to children up to age ten. This is a great way for children to learn about the causes of air pollution as well as ways to reduce the amount of pollution. This is done through interactive games and age appropriate stories. There is also a section for older students as well as information for teachers to utilize in classroom lessons.
Monitoring air quality is an important preventative step for those with health conditions that affect cardiac or lung function. By checking the index daily symptoms and serious complications may be reduced or prevented with proper precautions. Simply being aware of the danger can help you be more aware of any effects of the poor air quality and allow you to seek help more quickly than you may otherwise feel necessary.