Friends for Clean Air

A division of the Hamilton CountyDepartment of Environmental Services

“Friends for Clean Air”© 2013

Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency SouthwestOhioAir.org

250 William Howard Taft Rd., Cincinnati OH 45219Created by: Joy Landry and Amanda Berling

Wow! It sure is a great day to play outside!

Sometimes, the air can be really dirty. This is called air pollution.

Air pollution is caused by smoke and fumes.

Smoke and fumes are created when we burn something, like wood in a �replace, coal in factories, or gas in car engines.

There are many things that can pollute the air but most air pollution comes from cars.

Air pollution is bad for our lungs and can make our eyes itchy and our noses runny.

Breathing polluted air is bad for our health. It makes it harder to play outside, especially if you have asthma.

Knowing the air quality index (AQI) can help us to know when it is safe to play outside.

Air Quality Index

Good 0-50

Moderate 51-100

101-150

Unhealthy 151-200

Very Unhealthy 201-300

Hazardous 301-500

Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups

When the AQI is green, it is a good day to play outside. The air is clean and safe.

Good

When the AQI is orange, it is better to play inside so we don’t breathe too much air pollution. When the AQI is orange, we can help by making less pollution.

Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups

By driving less and walking or riding our bikes more, we can help improve air quality.

When we save energy, we are helping the air. If we use less energy, then less coal and fossil fuels are burned to make the energy.

We can save energy by turning o� lights, TVs and video games when we are not using them.

We can also help air quality by recycling.

We can help air quality by asking adults to be idle-free.

We can help air quality by carpooling.

We can also help air quality by taking the bus.

Today, the air is much cleaner and healthier than it used to be because people like you care about the air and help keep it clean!

If we all do our share, we can help to improve air quality so every day is a great day to play outside!