Air Quality
We all desire clean air to breathe. Air pollutants can aggravate existing heart and lung conditions. Air pollution damages plant life and can result in lower yields of crops.
As part of our environmental health tracking program we are looking for connections between air quality data and chronic disease data. One of our current studies compares ozone levels to asthma emergency room visits. We also provide health information about air quality (see below for links to reports).
Air quality refers to the condition of the air that surrounds us. Indoor air quality refers to the condition of the air inside our homes, schools, work sites, and public buildings. Some research estimates that people can spend up to 90% of their time indoors. Sources of indoor air pollution include dust, cigar and cigarette smoke, mold, combustion products (such as wood and oil for heating) and chemical emissions from cleaning and maintenance products, furnishings, building materials and floor coverings.
Outdoor pollution may come from a variety of naturally occurring and man-made sources, such as:
- agriculture
- auto emissions
- construction
- dust storms
- forest fires
- manufacturing
- military operations
- mining
- oil and gas production, emissions and byproducts
- ozone
- pesticides
- sand and gravel operations