Publications

This Federal Register notice provides EPA's rationale for the 1999 revisions to the Air Quality Index used by States for daily reporting to the general public in accordance with section 319 of the Clean Air Act.

This brochure explains how to use the Air Quality Index, and how high levels of ozone and particle matter can affect your health. Learn where this pollution comes from and what you can do to protect yourself when air quality is poor.

This guide provides you with information about ways to protect your health when nitrogen dioxide levels reach the unhealthy range, and ways you can help reduce nitrogen dioxide air pollution.

This guide provides you with information about ways to protect your health when ozone levels reach the unhealthy range, and ways you can help reduce ozone air pollution.

This guide provides you with information about ways to protect your health when particle pollution levels reach the unhealthy range, and ways you can help reduce particle air pollution.

This guidance can help protect the health of all children, including teenagers, who are more sensitive than adults to air pollution.

This fact sheet describes how the Air Quality Flag Program uses colored flags to represent daily air quality conditions.

This guidance is designed to aid local agencies in reporting the air quality using the AQI as required in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). For more information contact David Mintz at (mintz.david@epa.gov)

This fact sheet is designed to answer questions about how people with asthma can be affected by air pollution and how they can use the Air Quality Index to reduce their exposure.

This colorful poster is designed for use in patient waiting areas or exam rooms. Use this poster to educate your patients about the health effects of outdoor air pollution on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems.

The purpose of this fact sheet is to increase awareness that air pollution can trigger heart attacks, stroke, and other health effects.  It also provides information about steps to take to protect your health – including using the Air Quality Index to reduce exposure. It includes information about risk factors for heart disease and stroke, and lists the warning signs of heart attack and stroke.

It's important to limit your exposure to smoke -- especially if you may be susceptible. This publication provides steps you can take to protect your health.

Ozone, the main ingredient of smog, presents a serious air quality problem in many parts of the United States. Even at low levels, ozone can cause health effects. You can take simple steps, described in this pamphlet, to protect your health from ozone.

This short, colorful pamphlet tells who is at risk from exposure to particle pollution (also known as particulate matter), what health effects may be caused by particles, and simple measures that can be taken to reduce health risk.

This 8-page booklet provides more detailed information than "Ozone and Your Health" about ozone health effects and how to avoid them.

Report of Eight Focus Groups on the Ozone Map, the Pollutant Standards Sub-Index for Ozone, and the Ozone Health Effects Booklet. This report was used to develop the 1999 revision to the Air Quality Index.

This report provides technical guidance to help air quality agencies develop, operate, and evaluate ozone and PM2.5 forecasting programs. This document provides: 1) Background information about ozone and PM2.5 and the weather's effect on these pollutants; 2) A list of how air quality forecasts are currently used; 3) A summary and evaluation of methods currently used to forecast ozone and PM2.5; 4) Steps to develop and operate an air quality forecasting program and 5) Information on the level of effort needed to set up and operate a forecasting program. The intended audience of this document is project managers, meteorologists, air quality analysts, and data analysts.

Ozone acts as a protective layer high above the earth, but it can be harmful to breathe. This publication provides basic information about ground-level and high-altitude ozone.