Do you wonder what the air quality is like in your state or area? Thanks to the American Lung Association, you can find air quality information for your area at www.stateoftheair.org. Just visit their website and go to the Report Card section to enter either your State or your Zip Code. You’ll easily see the Grade for your air.
We were curious how this worked, so I entered my zip code. For Westchester County, NY on April 26th 2012, here is the Grade:
Ozone: F Particle Pollution 24-hour: B Particle Pollution Annual: Pass
The State of the Air website Report Card is easy to use and it is simple to understand the results. If you suffer from allergies or asthma, you may be especially interested in knowing about air quality. But many others will find it important to know about air quality. The elderly, the young and other members of the population can be vulnerable to poor air quality. With a great site like State of the Air, you have this information right at your fingertips, along with the information to understand the results it shows you.
English: US Air Quality Index Map-1/23/2009 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
You can also see the results for any other area in the U.S.A.. This is ideal as summer vacation season approaches. Many individuals and families will appreciate being able to know in advance about the air quality for the area they are going, so they can be prepared and plan ahead for good or poor air quality. While you can’t control the results, you can be prepared and plan some of your activities so you’ll have a fun vacation no matter what type of air that area happens to have.
The website also has a link to explain how the grade is calculated and another to tell your member of Congress to protect your health with the Clean Air Act. You can send this information about the Grade from the site via e-mail, share on Facebook or Twitter. They also offer tips on how to protect yourself.
By visiting Key Findings on the site, you’ll learn more about their research and about how others are affected by air quality.
According to the American Lung Association, more than 4 in 10 people in the U.S.A. live in counties with unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution. 127.2 million Americans live in 235 counties and are exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollution, either ozone or short-term or year-round levels of particles.
More than 5.7 million people in the U.S.A. live in six counties with healthy levels of all three (ozone, short-term and also year-round particle pollution).
It is good to see that improvement has been made in the reduction of ozone smog levels throughout the U.S.A.. More than half of the U.S.A.’s top smog polluted cities have had one of their best years to date. With 22 of the 25 cities (ones with the most ozone pollution) that improved their air quality compared with the 2011 report from the State of the Air.
It is fascinating to read the State of the Air, to see the extensive research that has been done in air quality. What is also exciting is seeing how you as an individual or a family can become involved in improving air quality. By joining the American Lung Association’s State of the Air, you can help their good work to monitor clean air and stay aware of clean air information. There are many informative articles and links at this website, ideal for anyone who wishes to learn more about the Clean Air Act or the air quality in their area.
Visit www.stateoftheair.org to learn more about your county or state’s air quality.
Source: http://www.stateoftheair.org
