Air Quality

General Information

• Air Quality and Outdoor Activity Guidance for Schools [PDF - 264 KB]
  Regular physical activity — at least 60 minutes each day — promotes health and fitness. This guidance can help protect the health of all children who are more sensitive than adults to air pollution.
• Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
  Carbon monoxide (CO), an odorless, colorless gas that can cause sudden illness and death, is found in combustion fumes produced by cars and trucks, generators, stoves, lanterns, burning charcoal and wood, gas ranges, and heating systems.
• Fire Safety
  Smoke from wildfires is a mixture of gases and fine particles from burning trees and plant materials. Smoke can hurt your eyes, irritate your respiratory system, and worsen chronic heart and lung diseases.
• Indoor Air Quality [PDF - 69 KB]
  Poor indoor air quality comes from many sources. It can lead to suffering from lung diseases such as asthma. It can also cause headaches, dry eyes, nasal mucus, nausea and tiredness.
• Mold
  Mold grows anywhere there is moisture but can be prevented. Exposure to damp and moldy environments may cause nasal stuffiness, throat irritation, coughing or wheezing, eye irritation, or skin irritation.
• Protect Yourself and Your Family from Debris Smoke
  Smoke produced from burning debris after natural disasters is unhealthy for you to breathe. It can cause shortness of breath or tightness in the chest or coughing. It also can sting your eyes, nose, or throat.
• Volcanoes
  You can do many things to protect yourself and your family from the dangers a volcanic eruption can cause. Volcanoes can produce ash, toxic gases, flashfloods of hot water and debris called lahars, lava flows, and fast-moving flows of hot gases and debris called pyroclastic flows.
• Wildfires: What YOU Need to Know...
  Tips to stay healthy if a wildfire threatens your area.

Resources

• Air Now
  Local Air Quality Conditions and Forecasts
• EPA Air Pollution Training Institute EPA's Air Pollution Training Institute provides technical training to state, tribal, and local air pollution professionals.
• Indoor Air Quality Information
  List of offices or programs identified by each state as dealing with indoor air-related health inquiries.
• National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network - Outdoor Air
  The National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network is a system of integrated health, exposure, and hazard information and data from a variety of national, state, and city sources.
• Publications from the 2007 International Biomass Smoke Health Effects Conference
• Smoke from Agricultural and Forest Fires
  Advice from the EPA on how to protect your family from the health effects of smoke from agricultural and forest fires.
• Wildfire Smoke: A Guide for Public Health Officials [PDF - 1.33 MB]
  A report for public health officials on the dangers of wildfire smoke — characteristics, health effects, sensitive populations, etc.

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