July 20, 2015 is a Code Orange air quality day

Today, July 20th has been designated a Code Orange air quality day.  This means that sensitive populations, including seniors, those with asthma and other respiratory conditions, those with heart conditions and the very young should limit physical activity outdoors.

What is the Air Quality Index (AQI)?

The AQI is EPA’s tool for communicating air quality to the public. It uses both a color-coded and numerical scale to report how clean or polluted the air is and what associated health effects might be of concern. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern.

EPA calculates the AQI for 5 major air pollutants that are regulated by the Clean Air Act:

• Ground-level ozone
• Particle pollution (a.k.a. particulate matter)
• Carbon monoxide
• Sulfur dioxide
• Nitrogen dioxide

You can read more about the AQI on the DEP’s air quality webpage.

In the last remaining weeks of summer and hot weather, be sure to keep an eye out for AQI alerts! In addition to catching them in the news, Clean Air Partners also has daily email alerts and a mobile app for Apple and Google Play. Stay informed and stay safe!