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Clean Air Partners Issues Code Red Air Quality Health Advisory for Metropolitan Washington Region

Posted on: Monday, 17 July 2006, 21:00 CDT

Today, Clean Air Partners announced a Code Red Air Quality Health Advisory for the Metropolitan Washington Region, meaning air quality is unhealthy for everyone. Officials urge residents to take precautions to protect their health and prevent further deterioration of air quality. Children and older adults should reduce outdoor activities. Healthy individuals should limit strenuous work or exercise, especially outdoors. Individuals with respiratory and heart ailments, emphysema, asthma, or chronic bronchitis should limit their activity level. If breathing becomes difficult, move indoors.

"As our first Code Red day of the season is expected, residents need to be especially careful about planning their outdoor activities as the air is likely to reach unhealthy levels," said Clean Air Partners Managing Director, Harriett West. "Before heading out tomorrow, residents should check the air quality forecast by visiting www.cleanairpartners.net or calling the air quality hotline at 202-962-3299. Just by following the simple steps provided such as carpooling, taking public transit and teleworking, we can maintain good air quality and protect our health."

The metropolitan Washington region experiences an average of 25 Code Orange days per summer. Last year there were 19 Code Orange days and no Code Red days. This year, The Washington region has experienced 9 Code Orange days and no reported Code Red days so far. Although air quality in the region is generally improving, ozone and particle pollution continue to reach unhealthy levels, particularly as temperatures rise.

Everyday actions such as painting, operating gas-powered lawn equipment, and cleaning with household chemicals can have as much of an impact on regional air quality as driving. For example, mowing your lawn for one hour with a gas-powered lawnmower can cause as much pollution as driving round-trip from Washington, D.C. to New York City.(i)

On poor air quality days at the Code Red and Code Orange levels, sensitive groups are at a greater risk from exposure to ozone pollution. These groups include people with lung disease, older adults and children. Those with lung disease or heart disease are at greater risk from exposure to particles which can occur year-round. Exposure to particle pollution can aggravate lung disease, causing asthma attacks, and acute bronchitis. Older adults can be at higher risk because they may have undiagnosed heart or lung diseases or diabetes. When particle levels are high, they are more likely to be hospitalized.

"On poor air quality days, children are the most susceptible to ozone pollution since their lungs are still developing and they spend twice as much time outdoors compared to the average adult," said Dr. Michael Martin with Advanced Pediatrics in Fairfax County. "By educating children and their families about how to protect themselves, we can help them live long, healthy lives."

In partnership with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, DC Department of Environment and the Maryland Department of the Environment, Clean Air Partners distributes and updates a daily air quality forecast for ozone and particle pollution based on EPA's Air Quality Index (AQI)(ii). The color-coded forecasts show whether air quality is likely to be good (green), moderate (yellow), unhealthy for sensitive groups (orange), or unhealthy (red). On Code Orange and Red days, the forecasts suggest actions people can take to protect their health and reduce air pollution, such as limiting outdoor activities, avoiding strenuous exercise and driving less.

In addition to distributing the forecast, Clean Air Partners provides an Air Quality Action Guide (AGAG). This guide suggests simple steps individuals can take to improve air quality.

The following are just a few of the action steps for reducing air pollution on a Code Red or Code Orange day:

-- Carpool, use public transit, bike or walk.

-- Refuel after dusk.

-- Avoid gas-powered lawn-mowers; go electric.

-- Consolidate your trips and errands to reduce driving.

-- Put off painting jobs until air quality improves.

ABOUT CLEAN AIR PARTNERS

Clean Air Partners is a nonprofit partnership chartered by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) and the Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC) to improve public health and the environment by working with businesses, organizations and individuals throughout the region to reduce air pollution by taking voluntary actions.

For more information about the Health Advisory, contact the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments at 202-962-3200. Air Quality Hotline: 202-962-3299

(i) Foundation for Clean Air Progress. http://www.cleanairprogress.org/making_a_diff/index.asp

(ii) The Air Quality Index (AQI): is a color-coded index describing how clean or polluted the outdoor air is in a specific location and what associated health effects may result for the local population. The AQI focuses on health effects a person may experience within a few hours or days after breathing polluted air. EPA has established AQI scales for five major pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act: ground-level ozone, particle pollution (also known as particulate matter), carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. For each of these, EPA has established national air quality standards to protect public health.

Source: Business Wire

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