Air Quality Days: Take Action on Air Quality Action Days

There are a number of actions you can take during an air quality alert.  Some of these actions will affect your health or the health of a loved one and some of the actions will improve the current level of air pollution.

Can you tele-commute for your job?  Ask your boss.  Telecommuting one day per week can reduce your commuting expenses by 20%.

Health Related Actions:

- Poor air quality affects children and individuals with existing respiratory problems, such as asthma or bronchitis.  These individuals should stay inside and reduce physical activities during the alert.  These individuals are affected at the lowest level of an alert, the Orange level.

- A level Red alert indicates the air quality is poor and will effect all individuals.  Everyone should take actions to reduce the amount of time spent outdoors and reduce their levels of physical activities.

Air Pollution Actions:

-   Refuel your vehicles before sunrise or after dusk on air quality alert days.  This reduces the amount of pollutants you are putting into the atmosphere during the worst part of the day.

- Postpone mowing your lawn until the air quality alert passes.  Lawnmowers are a major source of pollution.  By not mowing during an alert, you are not putting those pollutants into the atmosphere during the worst possible time.

-Do not idle your vehicles.  This is a major source of pollution that we can easily eliminate.

- Car pool, take mass transit, ride your bike, walk or telecommute during an air quality alert.  Each of these alternatives will eliminate additional pollution from being generated.