1. 1 Communicating air quality trade-offs

2. Module 6. Communicating Air Quality to the Public in the Mid-Atlantic United States by K.G. Paterson, Ph.D., P.E. © 2007 www.mtu.edu

3. 3 Did You Know? For the counties of the Mid-Atlantic states (DC, DE, NJ, MD, PA, VA, WV) there were, on average, about 4 days in 2005 with air quality designated unhealthy*….down from 8 days in 2000.** * Total of AQI categories unhealthy for sensitive individuals and unhealthy ** Based on three-year moving averages

4. 4 Course Goals By the end of this session, you will be able to Know how the public is informed about air quality in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. Define the AQI Know where to find current and forecasted air quality conditions for your community

5. 5 Theory: AQI AQI = Air Quality Index Allows easy communication of the air quality condition Developed to translate the real state of air quality into a relative state via an index Uses: Current conditions Forecasted conditions Range: 0 to 500 Basis: criteria air pollutant measurements

6. 6 Theory: AQI The number of air pollutants makes it difficult to communicate the general condition of air quality in a community. One way through this problem is to use a relative measure, or index, of air quality that is dependent on real measurements of the pollutants. Advantages: Many numbers become one Easier to communicate and understand

7. 7 Theory: AQI AQI methodology Designed to communicate relative risk to public health from criteria pollutants Criteria pollutant measurements used in the AQI estimation: O 3 8-hr, O 3 1-hr, PM 2.5, PM 10, CO, SO 2, NO 2 AQI above 100 means a criteria pollutant has exceeded its NAAQS AQI ValueLevel of Health Concern When AQI is in this range:…air quality conditions are: 0 - 50Good 51 - 100Moderate 101-150Unhealthy for sensitive groups 151-200Unhealthy 201-300Very unhealthy 301-500Hazardous

8. 8 Theory: AQI AQI methodology Daily concentrations of each criteria pollutant (except lead) at a monitoring site are used to interpolate an AQI for that pollutant from the table below Reported AQI is the highest of the individual pollutant AQIs AQIO 3 8-hrO 3 1-hrPM 2.5 PM 10 NO 2 SO 2 CO 0 0--00 00 50 64--15.454--344.4 100 8412540.4154--1449.4 200 124204150.42540.6530415.4 300 374404250.44241.2460430.4 400 5040.504350.45041.6480440.4 500 --604500.46042.04100450.4 ppb ppm ppb µg/m 3

9. 9 Application: AQI In the Mid-Atlantic U.S., AQI is usually set by ozone or particulate. Both carry health implications at high AQI values. AQI ValueHealth Concern 0 - 50 None 51 - 100 Sensitive people should limit prolonged outdoor exertion. 101-150 Active children and adults, and those with respiratory disease should limit prolonged outdoor activity. 151-200 Active children and adults, and those with respiratory disease should avoid prolonged outdoor activity; everyone else should limit prolonged outdoor activity. 201-300 Active children and adults, and those with respiratory disease should avoid all outdoor activity; everyone else should limit outdoor activity. AQI ValueHealth Concern 0 - 50 None 51 - 100 Sensitive people should limit prolonged outdoor exertion. 101-150 People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should reduce prolonged outdoor activity. 151-200 People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should avoid prolonged outdoor activity. Everyone else should reduce prolonged outdoor activity. 201-300 People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should avoid all outdoor activity. Everyone else should avoid prolonged outdoor activity. Ozone Particulate

10. 10 Theory: AQI Communication State and local authorities are required to report AQI to the public in any community with 350,000 people or more. If AQI exceeds 100, authorities will issue statements targeting affected individuals with suggested actions (Action Days) AQI is routinely published through various media outlets.

11. 11 Application: AQI Communication Action Days When AQI reaches (or predicted to reach) 100 or more Meant to trigger two types of action Protective measures that affected individuals should take Emission reduction measures that the public can take

12. 12 Analysis: AQI Communication Question: In the summer, the AQI often exceeds 100 in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. due to enhanced ozone production. If an ozone Action Day is issued, what are some ways that the public could possibly reduce emissions that affect ozone levels?

13. 13 Application: AQI Communication Based on the state’s AQI forecasts, EPA’s AirNow site is the most comprehensive source of regional AQI information www.airnow.gov

14. 14 Application: AQI Communication State level authorities provide more local AQI information. Maryland Department of Environment: http://www.air-watch.net/ (also includes email alerts)

15. 15 Application: AQI Communication Many newspapers are now reporting AQI on the Weather Page Many local TV news stations report AQI during the Weather segment Have you seen the AQI reported? Where?

16. 16 Theory: AQI Forecasting Air quality monitoring data Meteorological data Weather forecast models Air quality models Prediction: tomorrow’s weather Prediction: tomorrow’s air quality Today’s weather Today’s air quality National Weather Service State Environmental Agencies The state environmental regulatory agencies, NOAA and U.S. EPA collaborate to produce AQI forecasts with measurements and computer models

17. 17 Theory: AQI Forecasting While current prediction capabilities focus on AQI, planned capabilities include specific pollutants Current air quality alerts 10-year vision air quality alerts ProvideNext day warnings to big cities Ozone and particulate guidance Public productsDaily AQIHourly predictions of air pollutant concentrations Coverage~ 300 citiesNationwide Pollutants forecastedAQIOzone and particulate Forecast periodNext day, weekendsTwo days and beyond Spatial resolutionCommunity wide2.5 km grid for entire U.S. Temporal resolutionDailyHourly

18. 18 Application: AQI Forecasting Building to the 10-year vision NOAA’s National Weather Service currently can provide ozone predictions for the eastern U.S., twice daily at a 12.5 km resolution.

19. 19 Analysis: AQI Question: The AQI is a useful public communication tool, yet no index is perfect. How could it be improved? Action: In a small group, discuss some of the weaknesses of the AQI and what it would take to minimize them. Time: 5-10 minutes

20. 20 Further Learning AirNow, the EPA’s website for current and forecasted AQI, http://www.airnow.gov National Weather Service’s Air Quality Forecast site, http://www.nws.noaa.gov/aq/ A Guide to Mid-Atlantic Regional Air Quality, Appendix A: Health Effects of Air Pollution, pp. A3-A5. http://www.marama.org/reports/Guide- MidAtlantic_RegAQ_Final.pdf