Air quality refers to the condition of the air that surrounds us. As part of our environmental health tracking program we are looking at air quality data and linking it to chronic disease data to see if there is a connection between the two. One of our current studies involves the comparison of ozone levels to asthma emergency room visits. We also provide health information about air quality.

We all desire clean air to breathe or good air quality. Unfortunately in today’s world, when we mention air quality we automatically think of air pollution. Air pollutants seriously impact our health and environment. They can aggravate existing heart and lung conditions and animals suffer many of the same affects that humans do from harmful substances in the air. Air pollution also damages plant life and can result in lower yields of crops.

Indoor air quality refers to the condition of the air inside our homes, schools, work sites, and public buildings. Some research studies have estimated 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 and chemical emissions. The combustion products can come from the oil, wood, and gas we use for heating and cooking, and the chemical emissions products can come from cleaning and maintenance products, furnishings, building materials, and floor coverings.

Outdoor pollution may come from a variety of sources both naturally occurring and man made 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