24
Overview
About the AQI EPA outreach Major media outreach Future directions
EPA’s AQI Clean Air Act – develop nationally
uniform index and regulate reporting “Unhealthy” for ozone means same in
Lima, OH as Los Angeles, CA Includes pollutants with national
ambient air quality standards O3, PM, CO, SO2, NO2
Based on health effects information from review of standards
State/local Agency’s AQI Monitor ambient air Report AQI Usefulness of AQI linked to
implementation Continuous monitoring (e.g., PM2.5) Forecasting and real-time data
reporting Participating in AIRNOW
1999 - AQI Revised To represent health information
from review of standards Non-threshold nature of effects Sub-indices for PM2.5 and O3 (8-hr
average) For use in contemporary media
Real-time data reporting User-friendly format (e.g., colors,
language)
AQI Pollutant-Specific
Pollutant-specific statements Health effects statements Cautionary statements Sensitive group statements
AQI Easy to Understand Format intuitively clear
Category descriptors Colors Statements
Focus group testing General public – 5 cities Target audiences – 3 cities
AQI Focus Groups
JournalistsElderly – chroniclung disease
Parents – asthmatic children
Descriptor Index Value
Risk Message
Good 0 - 50 No message
Moderate 51 - 100 Unusually sensitive individuals (ozone)
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
101 - 150 Identifiable groups at risk – different groups for different pollutants
Unhealthy 151 - 200 General public at risk; groups at greater risk
Very Unhealthy 201 - 300 General public at greater risk; groups at greatest risk
Ozone Levels
http://www.epa.gov/airnow
Air Quality Forecast
Air Quality Guide - Ozone
Ozone and Your Health
Smog - Who Does It Hurt?
Health Care Providers “Ozone and Your Patients’ Health”
video CME credit UNC School of Medicine http://med.unc.edu/cme
Air pollution health effects poster Focus on O3, PM and AQI Ready Fall 2001
The Weather Channel
USA Today
Future Directions PM air pollution
Public information documents Real-time data - AIRNOW Health care providers – Web-based
instructional unit Communicate appropriately in fire
situations Evaluate research
BostonMarch 8, 20017:30 AM
Boston
March 8, 2001
11:30 AM
