Worksheet 7-A: Air Pollution

Part 1.

Air Quality Index (AQI) is an index that is used for reporting daily air quality. It indicates how clean or polluted the air is and the associated health concerns. The

AQI focuses on health effects that can happen within a few hours or days after breathing polluted air. Environmental Protection Agency uses the AQI for five major air pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act: ground-level ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide.

Directions: Visit the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s website at:

· http://www.aqmd.gov

· From the home page, click on “Air Quality”

· Then, click on “Current Air Quality Data”

· Then, click “Current Hourly Air Quality Index Map” to view map

· Click an area (any number) on the map

· Click “more info” from the pop up box

· Type the AQI value for each pollutant and indicate the number and level (AQI Description) for each pollutant in the chart below

· Do this for 2 different areas

Example: Currently: O3:10 AQI, NO2: 32 AQI

Example

Area #1

Pollutant

AQI #

Level (ex. Good)

Ozone (O3)

10

good

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)

32

good

Definitions of the AQI levels can be found in the tables or from the website. Not all readings will be available from each site. Only list those pollutants provided on the website.complete two docx