The Air Quality Index (AQI) is an index for reporting daily air quality. It tells you how clean or polluted your air is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for you. The AQI focuses on health effects you may experience within a few hours or days after breathing polluted air. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calculates the AQI for five major air pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act: 1. Ground-level Ozone (O3) 2. Particle Pollution, also known as particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) 3. Carbon Monoxide (CO) 4. Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) and 5. Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2). For each of these pollutants, EPA has established national air quality standards to protect public health. Ground-level ozone and airborne particles are the two pollutants that pose the greatest threat to human health in this country. Note: As an area with severe challenges to meeting federal Clean Air Act standards by their mandated deadlines, the state of California has established standards that are more stringent than federal standards for certain pollutants, including Ozone (O3) and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2). Both state and federal standards are shown in the data tables that accompany the air quality map.
Posted on: Thu, 08 Aug 2013 04:54:33 +0000
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