Air Quality Resources for Professionals
Below you’ll find a variety of helpful resources about air quality for public health professionals — including research, data, tools for tracking the health impact of air pollution, and more.
Data on Air Quality
Use these links to find the latest data on air quality — and learn about data collection methods.
Current Air Quality Information
Use these links to get live updates about air quality.
The Health Impact of Air Pollution
Use these tools to help you stay up to date about the health impact of air quality.
- Sources of Indoor Particulate Matter (PM)
- Patient Education Tools for Particle Pollution
- Effects of Common Air Pollutants [PDF – 788 KB]
- Health Impacts of Fine Particles in Air
- Outdoor Air Communication Tools
Training for Health Care Providers
You can also share this podcast with tips for avoiding the harmful health effects of poor air quality.
Information on Air Pollutants
Find information about EPA-classified air pollutants.
Research from CDC
Below you’ll find research on air quality and its health effects.
- McArdle CE, Dowling TC, Carey K, DeVies J, Johns D, Gates AL, Stein Z, van Santen KL, Radhakrishnan L, Kite-Powell A, Soetebier K, Sacks JD, Sircar K, Hartnett KP, Mirabelli MC. Asthma-Associated Emergency Department Visits During the Canadian Wildfire Smoke Episodes — United States, April– August 2023. MMWR 2023.
- Meek HC, Aydin-Ghormoz H, Bush K, Muscatiello N, McArdle CE, Weng CX, Hoefer D, Hsu WH, Rosenberg ES. Notes from the Field: Asthma-Associated Emergency Department Visits During a Wildfire Smoke Event — New York, June 2023. MMWR 2023.
- Mirabelli MC, Flanders WD, Vaidyanathan A, Beavers DP, Gower WA. Air quality and fatal exacerbations of asthma among children in North Carolina. Epidemiology 2023.
- Pennington AF, Vaidyanathan A, Ahmed FS, Manangan A, Mirabelli MC, Garrison IC, Sircar KD, Yip F, Flanders WD. Large-scale agricultural burning and cardiorespiratory emergency department visits in the U.S. state of Kansas. Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology 2023.
- Vargo J, Lappe B, Mirabelli MC, Conlon KC. Social vulnerability in U.S. communities affected by wildfire smoke. Am J Public Health 2023.
- Damon SA, Rupert DJ, Pryzby R. “Air Aware: Improving Use of an Existing Air Quality and Health Tool” Journal of Health Communication 2022.
- Michael R, Mirabelli MC, Vaidyanathan A. “Public health applications of historical smoke forecasts: An evaluation of archived BlueSky data for the coterminous United States, 2015–2018” Computers & Geosciences 2022.
- Mirabelli MC, Vaidyanathan A, Pennington AF, Ye D, Trenga CA. “Wildfire smoke and symptoms affecting mental health among adults in the U.S. state of Oregon” Preventive Medicine 2022.
- Pennington AF. “Protect yourself from the health effects of air pollution” Future of Personal Health 2022.
- Tompkins LK, Pennington AF, Sircar KD, Mirabelli MC. “Communication channels for receiving air quality alerts among adults in the United States” Preventive Medicine Reports 2022.
2021
- Lynch KM, Mirabelli MC. “Air quality awareness, perceptions, and behaviors among U.S. youth aged 12–17 years with and without asthma.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2021.
- Lynch KM, Mirabelli MC. “Outdoor air quality awareness, perceptions, and behaviors among U.S. children aged 12–17 years, 2015–2018.” Journal of Adolescent Health 2021.
2020
- Joseph G, Schramm PJ, Vaidyanathan A, Breysse P, Goodwin B. “Evidence on the Use of Indoor Air Filtration as an Intervention for Wildfire Smoke Pollutant Exposure [PDF – 3.61 MB]” BRACE Technical Report Series 2020.
- Lynch KM, Mirabelli MC. “Outdoor Air Quality Awareness, Perceptions, and Behaviors Among U.S. Children Aged 12–17 Years, 2015–2018.” Journal of Adolescent Health 2020.
- Mirabelli MC, Ebelt S, Damon SA. “Air Quality Index and air quality awareness among adults in the United States” Environmental Research 2020.
- Navarro K., Vaidyanathan A. “Notes from the Field : Understanding Smoke Exposure in Communities and Fire Camps Affected by Wildfires: A Summary of CDC’s Response to Two Major Wildfires–California and Oregon, 2020.” MMWR 2020.
2019
- Pennington AF, Sircar K, Hsu J, Zahran HS, Damon SA, Mirabelli MC. “Communication channels for air quality alerts in the United States.” Preventive Medicine Reports 2019; 14: epub.
2018
- Mirabelli MC, Boehmer TK, Damon SA, Sircar KD, Wall HK, Yip FY, Zahran HS, Garbe, PL. “Air Quality Awareness Among U.S. Adults With Respiratory and Heart Disease.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2018; 54 (5): 679-687.
- Mirabelli MC, Damon SA, Beavers SF, Sircar KD. “Patient–Provider Discussions About Strategies to Limit Air Pollution Exposures.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2018; 55(2): e49-e52.
- Vaidyanathan A, Fuyuen Yip F, Garbe P. “Developing an online tool for identifying at-risk populations to wildfire smoke hazards.” Science of the Total Environment 619–620. 2018:376–383.
2017
- Yip F, Christensen B, Sircar K, Naeher L, Bruce N, Pennise D, Lozier M, Pilishvili T, Farrar J, Stanistreet D, Nyagol R, Muoki J, de Beer L, Sage M, Kapil V. “Assessment of Traditional and Improved Stove Use on Household Air Pollution and Personal Exposures in Rural Western Kenya.” Environment International. 2017; 99:185–191.
2016
- Byers N, Ritchey M, Vaidyanathan A, Brandt A, Yip F. “Short-term effects of ambient air pollutants on asthma-related emergency department visits in Indianapolis, Indiana, 2007-2011.” J Asthma. 2016; 53:245-252.
- Heinzerling A, Hsu J, Yip F. “Respiratory Health Effects of Ultrafine Particles in Children: A Literature Review.” Water Air Soil Pollut. 2016.
- Lozier MJ, Sircar K, Christensen B, Pillarisetti A, Pennise D, Bruce N, Stanistreet D, Naeher L, Pilishvili T, Loo Farrar J, Sage M, Nyagol R, Muoki J, Wofchuck T, Yip F. “Use of Temperature Sensors to Determine Exclusivity of Improved Stove Use and Associated Household Air Pollution Reductions in Kenya.” Environ Sci Technol. 2016; 50(8):4564-71.
- Mirabelli MC, Vaidyanathan A, Flanders WD, Qin X, Garbe P. “Outdoor PM2.5, Ambient Air Temperature, and Asthma Symptoms in the Past 14 Days among Adults with Active Asthma.” Environ Health Perspect. 2016: Epub ahead of print.
2014
2013
- Residential Proximity to Major Highways — United States, 2010 (MMWR)
- Statistical Air Quality Predictions for Public Health Surveillance: Evaluation and Generation of County Level Metrics of PM2.5 for the Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (International Journal of Health Geographics)
2012
- Obstructive Lung Disease and Exposure to Burning Biomass Fuel in the Indoor Environment (Global Heart)
- Winter Temperature Inversions and Emergency Department Visits for Asthma in Salt Lake County, Utah, 2003-2008 (Environmental Health Perspectives)
2011
- Effectiveness of Home-Based Multi-Trigger, Multicomponent Interventions with an Environmental Focus for Reducing Asthma Morbidity: A Community Guide Systematic Review — Abstract (American Journal of Preventive Medicine)
- Unhealthy Air Quality — United States, 2006–2009 MMWR
2010
- Public Communication in Unplanned Biomass Burning Events [PDF – 175 KB] (Inhalation Toxicology)
- Using Logic Models as Iterative Tools for Planning and Evaluating Physical Activity Promotion Programs in Curitiba, Brazil (Journal of Physical Activity and Health)
2009
Publications from the International Biomass Smoke Health Effects Conference (IBSHE)
- Biomass Smoke Exposures: Health Outcomes Measures and Study Design [PDF – 573 KB]
- Biomass Smoke Exposures: Toxicology and Animal Study Design [PDF – 829 KB]
- Conference Summary: International Biomass Smoke Health Effects (IBSHE) [PDF – 733 KB]
- Public Communication in Unplanned Biomass Burning Events [PDF – 174 KB]
- Wood Smoke Risk Assessment: Defining the Questions [PDF – 951 KB]
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