April 29, 2024
National Air Quality Awareness Week kicks off efforts to reduce summertime air pollution by calling attention to important air quality issues and promoting actions individuals can take to make a difference.
National Air Quality Awareness Week is May 6-10, 2024. It marks the beginning of the ozone season, when the Greater Philadelphia region typically begins to experience poor air quality from high levels of ground-level ozone. This type of ozone forms when summer heat “bakes” exhaust from vehicles, producing an invisible but dangerous chemical in our air. This pollutant damages healthy lungs, makes people more susceptible to lung infections, and makes it even harder for people with lung disease to breathe. While poor air quality is a risk to everyone, communities of color and low-income communities are disproportionately affected.
The good news is that everyone can help prevent air pollution and protect their community’s health. National Air Quality Awareness Week kicks off efforts to reduce summertime air pollution by calling attention to important air quality issues and promoting actions individuals can take to make a difference. Each day of the week, the Air Quality Partnership will be focusing on a different theme:
May 6: Wildland fires and smoke
May 7: Asthma and your health
May 8: Air quality and climate
May 9: Air quality and environmental justice
May 10: Take care of family, friends, and neighbors
Throughout ozone season, DVRPC will share alerts for Air Quality Action Days, which are days when the air quality is predicted to be poor and may require people to take action. In addition to recognizing Air Quality Action Days due to ground-level ozone, DVRPC and the Air Quality Partnership also share alerts due to particle pollution (also known as particulate matter). In June 2023, the Greater Philadelphia region experienced poor air quality issues when smoke from wildfires in eastern Canada flowed south. While ozone pollution is mostly invisible, this episode of high particle pollution could be seen as the minute ashes from the burning material filled the air.
The daily air quality forecast includes alerts for poor air quality as a result of either pollutant, and suggests voluntary actions each of us can take to protect our health and even help reduce pollution. On poor air quality days, consider taking transit or sharing a ride instead of driving alone to help reduce air pollution. Active transportation, like walking or biking, is good for the air and your health (except on extremely poor air quality days, when outdoor activity should be limited). If you must drive, small changes–like combining errands in one trip–can make a big impact. Also, consolidating online orders into fewer shipments, which reduces the number of deliveries, can help reduce air pollution. To get more tips, see the daily air quality forecast, and sign up for alerts, visit www.AirQualityPartnership.org.