Air pollution is a mixture of solid particles and gases in the air. Car emissions, chemicals from factories, dust, pollen and mold spores may be suspended as particles. Ozone, a gas, is a major part of air pollution in cities. When ozone forms air pollution, it's also called smog.
Some air pollutants are poisonous. Inhaling them can increase the chance you'll have health problems. People with heart or lung disease, older adults and children are at greater risk from air pollution. Air pollution isn't just outside – the air inside buildings can also be polluted and affect your health.
Environmental Protection Agency
- Air Quality Index (AQI) - A Guide to Air Quality and Your Health(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards) - http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=static.aqi
-
Outdoor Air Pollution: Possible Health Effects(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/asthma/triggers/085.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/common/asthma/triggers/085.printerview.html
- About Air Toxics(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/allabout.html
- AIRNow(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://airnow.gov/
- Air Pollution Harms Patients After Heart Attack(09/09/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69075.html
- One-Third of Schools Built in Air Pollution Danger Zones(08/25/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68520.html
- Newly Discovered Air Pollutants May Cause Lung Problems(08/18/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68261.html
- More News on Air Pollution http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_a.html#airpollution
- Green Vehicle Guide(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/
- Protect Yourself and Your Family from Debris Smoke(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/airpollution/airquality/debris_smoke.htm
- What You Can Do to Clean the Air(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air and Radiation) - http://www.epa.gov/air/actions/
- Backyard Burning: Human Health(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/backyard/health.htm
- Forest Fire Smoke(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=smoke.smokecover
- How Nitrogen Oxides Affect the Way We Live and Breathe(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards) - http://www.epa.gov/air/urbanair/nox/
- How Sulfur Dioxide Affects the Way We Live & Breathe(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards) - http://www.epa.gov/air/urbanair/so2/
- Lead in Air(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards) - http://www.epa.gov/air/lead/
- Particulate Matter(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards) - http://www.epa.gov/oar/particlepollution/
- Air Pollution and Exercise(American Lung Association) - http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=36292
- Air Pollution and Respiratory Health(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/airpollution/
- Cleaning Up Our Land, Water and Air(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/swerrims/cleanup/
- Greenhouse Gases(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) - http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/gases.html
- Nonroad Diesel Equipment(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/nonroad-diesel/basicinfo.htm
- Risk Assessment for Toxic Air Pollutants: A Citizen's Guide(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/3_90_024.html
-
Tox Town
(National Library of Medicine) - Requires Flash Player - http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/espanol/ -
TOXNET Databases(National Library of Medicine) - Databases on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, and related areas - http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/
- Transportation and Air Quality(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/otaq/
- Volcanos Can Impact Air Quality(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=static.volcano_events
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Air Pollution(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Air+Pollution%22
-
Air Pollution and Cardiovacular Disease(National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences) - http://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/impacts/cardiovascular.cfm
-
Air Pollution and Respiratory Disease(National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences) - http://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/impacts/respiratory.cfm
- America's Children and the Environment(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/envirohealth/children/
-
Black Carbon Air Pollution May Lower IQ(National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences) - http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/sep/2008/loweriq.cfm
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Asthma--air pollution may make it worse.... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18711786&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Nitrous oxide pollution in the operating room. A comparison of... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18705444&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Long-term effects of ambient air pollution on lung function: a... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18703932&tool=MedlinePlus
- Air Pollution -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=air+pollution[majr]+OR+air+pollutants[majr]+NOT+(tobacco+smoke+pollution[majr]+OR+air+pollution,indoor[majr]+OR+ozone[majr]+OR+radon[majr])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/tri/
- American Lung Association - http://www.lungusa.org/
- Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air and Radiation - http://www.epa.gov/oar/
- National Center for Environmental Health(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/
-
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - http://www.niehs.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.niehs.nih.gov/about/community/espanol/
- Clean Air Rules of 2004(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/cleanair2004/
- Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/air/caa/peg/
- State of the Air 2008(American Lung Association) - http://www.stateoftheair.org/
-
AIRnow: Air Quality Index for Kids(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards) - http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=aqikids_new.main
Also available in Spanish http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=aqikids_spanish.index
- Environmental Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/environmentalhealth.html
- Indoor Air Pollution - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/indoorairpollution.html
- Ozone - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ozone.html
- Poisoning, Toxicology, Environmental Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/poisoningtoxicologyenvironmentalhealth.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Air Pollution is the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - http://www.niehs.nih.gov/