Air Quality Week

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
840 AM EDT MON APR 28 2014

...THIS IS AIR QUALITY AWARENESS WEEK...

THIS WEEK MARKS THE BEGINNING OF THE OZONE SEASON FOR MANY AREAS IN
THE UNITED STATES.  EACH DAY OF AIR QUALITY AWARENESS WEEK WILL
FEATURE A UNIQUE TOPIC RELEVANT TO EDUCATION AND PREPAREDNESS.

TODAY WE HIGHLIGHT TWO TYPES OF AIR POLLUTION: OZONE AND PARTICLE
POLLUTION.  THESE ARE TWO COMMON POLLUTANTS FOUND IN MANY PARTS OF
THE COUNTRY.

OZONE IS A COLORLESS ODORLESS GAS. IT IS THE SAME GAS THAT IS FOUND
IN THE OZONE LAYER, HIGH IN THE EARTHS STRATOSPHERE, WHERE IT
PROTECTS US FROM THE SUNS ULTRAVIOLET ENERGY.  BUT AT GROUND LEVEL
WHERE WE LIVE, OZONE POLLUTION IS UNHEALTHY TO BREATHE.

PARTICLE POLLUTION, OR AIRBORNE PARTICLE POLLUTION, CONSISTS OF
MICROSCOPIC PARTICLES IN THE AIR.  DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU LIVE, IT
CAN BE A PROBLEM IN THE WINTER AND/OR SUMMER. LIKE OZONE, PARTICLE
POLLUTION IS NOT HEALTHY TO BREATHE. THE PARTICLES ALSO CONTRIBUTE
TO HAZE WHICH BLURS THE VIEW IN MANY CITIES AND NATIONAL PARKS.

TOMORROW WE WILL LEARN HOW THESE POLLUTANTS FORM AND CREATE POOR AIR
QUALITY CONDITIONS.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON AIR QUALITY AWARENESS WEEK...VISIT US ON THE
WORLD WIDE WEB AT HTTP://WWW.AIRQUALITY.NOAA.GOV