air quality index (aqi)

Air Quality Index (AQI)

Susan Lyon Stonestone.susan@epa.gov

Overview

About the AQI EPA outreach Major media outreach Future directions

EPA’s AQI Clean Air Act – develop nationally

uniform index and regulate reporting “Unhealthy” for ozone means same in

Lima, OH as Los Angeles, CA Includes pollutants with national

ambient air quality standards O3, PM, CO, SO2, NO2

Based on health effects information from review of standards

State/local Agency’s AQI Monitor ambient air Report AQI Usefulness of AQI linked to

implementation Continuous monitoring (e.g., PM2.5) Forecasting and real-time data

reporting Participating in AIRNOW

1999 - AQI Revised To represent health information

from review of standards Non-threshold nature of effects Sub-indices for PM2.5 and O3 (8-hr

average) For use in contemporary media

Real-time data reporting User-friendly format (e.g., colors,

language)

AQI Pollutant-Specific

Pollutant-specific statements Health effects statements Cautionary statements Sensitive group statements

AQI Easy to Understand Format intuitively clear

Category descriptors Colors Statements

Focus group testing General public – 5 cities Target audiences – 3 cities

AQI Focus Groups

JournalistsElderly – chroniclung disease

Parents – asthmatic children

Descriptor Index Value

Risk Message

Good 0 - 50 No message

Moderate 51 - 100 Unusually sensitive individuals (ozone)

Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups

101 - 150 Identifiable groups at risk – different groups for different pollutants

Unhealthy 151 - 200 General public at risk; groups at greater risk

Very Unhealthy 201 - 300 General public at greater risk; groups at greatest risk

Ozone Levels

http://www.epa.gov/airnow

Air Quality Forecast

Air Quality Guide - Ozone

Ozone and Your Health

Smog - Who Does It Hurt?

Health Care Providers “Ozone and Your Patients’ Health”

video CME credit UNC School of Medicine http://med.unc.edu/cme

Air pollution health effects poster Focus on O3, PM and AQI Ready Fall 2001

The Weather Channel

USA Today

Future Directions PM air pollution

Public information documents Real-time data - AIRNOW Health care providers – Web-based

instructional unit Communicate appropriately in fire

situations Evaluate research

BostonMarch 8, 20017:30 AM

Boston

March 8, 2001

11:30 AM