Take Action!

Take action to protect yourself from air quality health risks and help reduce the formation of ground-level ozone and particle pollution on days when it counts the most.

Tips to Protect Yourself

Know what the Air Quality Index means and keep informed about air quality all year long.
Know whether you are at risk. Pollution sensitive groups include children, the elderly, adults who work or exercise outdoors and persons with heart or lung ailments.
Listen for Air Quality Alerts in the media.
Check the Air Quality Partnership website or call the information line for air quality forecasts.
Avoid prolonged outdoor activities when ozone is forecast to be high. Avoid all strenuous activities when particle pollution id forecast to be high.
Take action to improve air quality.

Take Action to reduce polluting activities, especially on Air Quality Action Days

Take transit or rideshare. Ride the bus, train, subway or carpool to work or school.
Telecommute. Work from home on Air Quality Action days and spend your extra commute hours with your family.
Trip-link. Do all of you errands in one trip, avoiding unnecessary cold starts.
Refuel at the end of the day. Ozone levels are usually highest in mid to late afternoon.
Don’t “top off” your tank when refueling. Spillage adds two tons of air pollution daily.
Postpone mowing the lawn until late in the day or on a day when air quality is better. Remember to fill your gas tanks after dusk too.
Use wood stoves and fire places wisely and sparingly. If you must burn wood, burn only untreated hard wood in a properly maintained woodstove or fireplace.
Refrain from burning trash or yard waste.
Conserve energy at home. Set the thermostat lower in the winter and high in the summer. Conserving energy not only helps air quality, it also saves you money.
Get regular tune-ups and car maintenance checks. A properly running vehicle emits less pollution and saves gas.

Take the summer action quiz to see how much you know about reducing air pollution.