Being Prepared: Poor Air Quality

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Watch Poor Air Quality Preparedness Tips with Andrew Mangham (Open English Captioning)

Watch Poor Air Quality Preparedness Tips in American Sign Language with Roger Robb

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When you look outside and notice that the sky is hazy and visibility is poorer than usual, this can mean that air quality has degraded and become dangerous. Sometimes, air pollution is not even seen. Our air quality is based on the concentration of pollutants present in the air - both human-made and from natural sources.

Human-made air pollution includes vehicle emissions and fumes from power plants and refineries. Nature’s sources for air pollution include smoke from wildfires (which are still often human-caused), gas from volcanic eruptions, and methane.

Air Pollution Science - Particulate Matter: Airborne particles such as smoke, dust, dirt, soot, and salt. The sources of these particles are numerous - including vehicles, factories, fires, and any other natural or human activity resulting in the addition of particulates into the air. Ground Level Ozone: Ground level ozone is not directly emitted into the air, but forms when nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions react with other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the presence of heat and sunlight. Emissions from industrial facilities and electric utilities, motor vehicle exhause, and chemical solvents are some of the major sources of NOx and VOCs

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issues daily air quality forecast guidance. The Air Quality Index (AQI) tells you how polluted or how clean your air is. The AQI takes into account five major air pollutants: ground-level ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. You can check your air quality at airnow.gov.

The Air Quality Index ranks good air quality from numbers as low as 0 with moderate air quality ranging between 51 to 100. Poor air quality begins at 101 with the most unhealthy rating reaching 500.

In New Mexico, wildfire smoke is a common source of air pollution. When inhaled, the fine, microscopic particles from smoke can get deep into your lung tissue and cause serious health problems. Burning eyes, runny noses, and bronchitis can all result from inhaling smoke, and for those with chronic lung and heart diseases, smoke can aggravate these. Wildfire smoke has even been linked to premature deaths in people with these chronic illnesses.

It’s always a good idea to avoid breathing smoke if you can. Take these precautions:

Limit your time outdoors.
Stay inside with your windows and doors closed.
Avoid strenuous activities such as running or exercising.
Run your air conditioner continuously, and if you can, install a high efficiency air filter. If you don’t have an air conditioner, staying inside with windows & doors closed may be dangerous during hot weather. In this case, seek an alternate shelter.
Don’t burn anything! You’ll just be contributing to the problem.
If you are vulnerable (have chronic health problems, are older, or if you have children), talk to your doctor. Heavy smoke for a prolonged period of time can start to become dangerous indoors, even if you can’t see it.

You can also check out the Fire and Smoke Map to track wildfires across the United States.