IN THE SACRAMENTO REGION
Health Effects of Air Pollution
Programs to inform you and help you breathe easier
Dirty air—
a real threat
Children, healthy adults, outdoor
workers, athletes, and the elderly are
just some of the groups that feel the
effects of air pollution.The fact is –
we all feel the effects at one time or
another. Poor air quality is a real
health threat in the Sacramento
region.
In fact, the Sacramento region is
among the top 12 areas in the country in the number of days per year
when air quality doesn’t meet federal
health standards. Our region’s ozone
air pollution readings are consistently
higher than the standard set to protect
your health.The highest levels of
pollution occur in the summer when
direct sunlight and strong inversion
layers trap pollutants close to the
ground.
Drivers in the Sacramento region
travel almost 50 million miles each
day and our population is expected to
grow by one million by 2022. It’s not
surprising that about 70 percent of
our ozone problem is caused by
vehicles and other mobile sources,
including trucks, buses, agricultural
equipment, construction equipment,
recreational powerboats, and gaspowered lawn & garden equipment.
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Where are we today?
ur ozone trends are good, the overall rate of population exposure to ozone
is down, and the number of days and hours over the standard are also
trending down. But we still have a long way to go.
In April 2004, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed areas
in the United States that do not meet the new, tougher federal 8-hour health
standard for ground-level ozone.
The Sacramento region is one of those areas. Our region is officially a
“serious” nonattainment area for the 8-hour standard and we have until June
2013 to meet the health standard. Part or all of 474 counties nationwide are in
nonattainment for either failing to meet the 8-hour ozone standard or for
causing a downwind county to fail.
Our region’s nonattainment area includes all of Sacramento County,Yolo
County and portions of El Dorado, Placer, Solano, and Sutter Counties.
The 8-hour ozone standard, 0.08 parts per million (ppm*), averages ozone
readings over eight hours. It replaces the 1-hour standard that has been in place
since 1979.
O
articulate Matter (particle) pollution is another type of air pollution. Particle
pollution refers to microscopic soot-like particles produced by power plant
emissions, diesel exhaust, construction, wind-blown dust, vehicles and other
sources. It is reported in two ways: 24-hour and year-round measurements.
A new standard for PM 2.5, fine particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter, is
more stringent than the existing PM 10** standard.This type of pollution can
cause serious health problems even at relatively low concentrations, and has been
linked to an increase in lung disease and cancer.
The region meets the annual PM 2.5 standard and is expected to be listed by
EPA as “unclassified” for the 24-hour average PM 2.5 standard, with further data
being gathered.
P
*One drop of water in a full bathtub is similar to one part per million.
**One thousand particles of 10 microns in diameter could fit into the period at the end of this sentence.
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Dirty air
definitions
Smog is the general term used to
describe a variety of air pollutants,
including ground-level ozone (smog’s
main ingredient) and particulate matter.
Ground-level ozone (O3)
is an invisible pollutant formed by
volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) when
they react with the ultraviolet rays
from the sun.The primary source of
VOCs and NOx is mobile sources,
including cars, trucks, buses, construction and agricultural equipment.
Ground-level ozone reaches its
highest level during the afternoon
and early evening hours.
In contrast, stratospheric ozone in
our upper atmosphere, known as the
ozone layer, shields the earth from the
sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays.
Remember, upper level ozone is
GOOD, ground-level ozone is BAD.
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Particulate Matter (PM) is a
mixture of solid particles and liquid
droplets found in the air. It comes
from a variety of sources, including
diesel trucks, power plants, wood
stoves, vehicles and industrial processes.
Coarse particles (PM 10) are generally
emitted from wind-blown dust,
vehicles traveling on unpaved roads,
and crushing & grinding operations.
Fine particles (PM 2.5) come from
fuel combustion (motor vehicles,
power generation, industrial facilities),
residential fireplaces and wood stoves,
and agricultural burning. PM 2.5 can
also be formed in the atmosphere from
gases such as NOx and VOCs.
Spare The Air
he Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (AQMD),
on behalf of the air districts of the region, issues a Spare The Air advisory
when the region’s air quality is forecast to be in the Unhealthy for Sensitive
Groups range on the Air Quality Index (AQI) (see page 5).
Air quality readings are gathered from the region’s air monitoring stations,
weather data is evaluated, and a same-day and next-day forecast is given. Our
Web site, www.SpareTheAir.com, also provides a five-day air quality outlook.
The Spare The Air program helps reduce ozone air pollution by asking residents
to cut back or eliminate driving and postpone other polluting activities like
using gas-powered yard tools, or recreational powerboats.
It’s also a useful notification program giving you information to protect your
health based on the pollution level expected for a particular day or days. For
specific medical advice related to ground-level ozone, please consult your
personal physician.
Since Spare The Air episodes can last for several days, it’s important for
all of us to do our part to reduce emissions so they don’t continue to build
up and prolong bad air. It’s a good time to use public transit, carpool, bike
or walk. Just remember that biking and walking should be done in the morning
when pollution levels are lower.
T
“The Spare The Air program
helps reduce ozone air
pollution by asking residents
to cut back or eliminate
driving and postpone other
polluting activities.”
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Air Quality Index
Pollutant Specific Cautionary Statements
HEALTH CATEGORIES
OZONE
PM 2.5
PM 10
VERY
UNHEALTHY
(201 to 300)
Active children and
adults, and people with
respiratory disease, such
as asthma, should avoid
all outdoor exertion;
everyone else, especially
children, should limit
outdoor exertion.
People with respiratory
and heart disease and
the elderly should avoid
any outdoor activity;
everyone else, especially
children should avoid
prolonged exertion.
People with respiratory
disease should avoid
any outdoor activity;
everyone else,
especially children
and the elderly should
avoid moderate or
heavy exertion.
UNHEALTHY
(151 to 200)
Active children and
adults and people with
respiratory disease, such
as asthma, should avoid
prolonged outdoor
exertion; everyone else,
especially children,
should limit prolonged
outdoor activity.
People with respiratory
and heart disease and
the elderly should avoid
prolonged exertion;
everyone else, especially
children, should limit
prolonged exertion.
People with respiratory
disease, such as asthma,
should avoid moderate
or heavy exertion;
everyone else,
especially children and
the elderly, should limit
prolonged exertion.
UNHEALTHY
FOR SENSITIVE
GROUPS
(101 to 150)
Active children and
adults, and people with
respiratory disease, such
as asthma, should limit
prolonged outdoor
exertion.
People with respiratory
and heart disease and
the elderly should limit
prolonged exertion.
People with respiratory
disease, such as asthma,
should limit moderate or
heavy exertion.
MODERATE
(51 to 100)
Unusually sensitive
people should consider
limiting prolonged
outdoor exertion.
None
None
GOOD
(0 to 50)
None
None
None
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Air pollution notifications
1. Spare The Air Advisories
Available through AirAlert, your air quality notification service (see below)
Available at www.SpareTheAir.com
Heard daily on the AQMD’s air quality information line at (916) 874-4801
Reported during TV and radio news and weather broadcasts
Broadcast as a TV or radio commercial
Posted at office work sites by employers in the regional Spare The Air Employer
Network
Seen on The Sacramento Bee’s weather page located on the back page of the Metro
Section
2. Health Advisories
A Health Advisory is more urgent than a Spare The Air advisory. When air
pollution is expected to reach the Very Unhealthy level in a particular area, a
Health Advisory is issued. Health Advisories are typically in effect for two- to
three-hours late in the afternoon or early evening. Please refer to the AQI on
page 5 for specific cautionary statements from the U.S. EPA.
For personal medical advice related to ground-level ozone exposure, please
consult your physician.
AirAlert
Visit www.SpareTheAir.com and sign-up for AirAlert, a free notification service
offered from May 1 – October 31 by the Sacramento Metropolitan AQMD. In
addition to receiving all Spare The Air advisories, you may choose to receive the
daily air quality forecast, or real-time notification when a specific monitoring site
reaches one of three AQI levels. AirAlerts are sent to you via e-mail, text pager
or digital cellular phone.You may change or discontinue this service at any time.
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Air pollution
affects everyone
Air pollution-related symptoms such
as watery eyes, coughing or wheezing
can affect everyone. Even for healthy
people, polluted air can cause respiratory irritation or breathing difficulties
during exercise or outdoor activities.
Your risk depends on your current
health status, the pollutant type and
concentration, and the length of
exposure to the pollution.
People most susceptible to severe health
problems from air pollution are:
Individuals with heart or lung disease
Individuals with respiratory problems
such as asthma or emphysema
Pregnant women
Outdoor workers
Children under age 14, whose lungs are
still developing
Elderly residents, whose immune systems
are weaker
Athletes who exercise vigorously outdoors
High air pollution levels can cause
immediate health problems:
Aggravated cardiovascular and respiratory
illness
Added stress to heart and lungs, which
must work harder to supply the body
with oxygen
Damaged cells in the respiratory system
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Long-term exposure to polluted air can
have permanent health effects:
Accelerated aging of the lungs and loss of
lung capacity
Decreased lung function
Development of diseases such as asthma,
bronchitis, emphysema, and possibly
cancer
Shortened life span
Health effects of specific pollutants
Ground-level Ozone
Ozone is a strong irritant that can cause constriction of the airways, forcing the
respiratory system to work harder in order to provide oxygen. It can also cause
other health problems:
Aggravated respiratory disease such as emphysema, bronchitis and asthma
Damage to deep portions of the lungs, even after symptoms such as coughing or a sore
throat disappear
Wheezing, chest pain, dry throat, headache or nausea
Reduced resistance to infection, increased fatigue or weakened athletic performance
Particulate Matter
A series of scientific studies have linked particulate matter, especially fine
particles, with a variety of significant health problems:
Aggravated asthma, heart or lung disease
Respiratory related hospital admissions and emergency room visits
Acute respiratory symptoms, including severe chest pain, gasping and aggravated coughing
Decreased lung function, which can be experienced as shortness of breath
Chronic bronchitis
Premature death
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Take action and
Spare The Air
Call a friend or co-worker and prearrange to carpool when a Spare The Air
advisory is announced
Bring your lunch to work and avoid a
mid-day trip
Share a ride with a friend to social and
recreational activities
Try public transit for some trips
Walk or ride a bike for short morning
trips or where over-exertion isn’t
likely–pollution levels are lowest
during the morning hours
Give your vehicle regular tune-ups so
the engine will run smoothly and pollute
less
Avoid using oil-based paints and other
consumer products that contain smogforming compounds
Use electric lawn and garden equipment
for a zero pollution clean up job
Purchase a reduced-emission vehicle–
visit www.arb.ca.gov to see the list of
available gas-powered vehicles
www.driveless.net
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Drive less on bad air days. After you
have signed up with your e-mail
address at this site, you will be
prompted by an e-mail after each
Spare The Air day to report your
reduced trips.The e-mail prompt will
take you to a reporting page.Your
information is confidential and
anonymous and all participants will be
eligible for prizes.This service helps
you and the community count our
efforts.
Community Education & Outreach
Ozone Movies
Ozone Movies are available for viewing at www.SpareTheAir.com from May 1 –
October 31. Similar to Doppler radar, they show you a representation of current
air quality in your area.These daily Ozone Movies are updated hourly into the
late evening hours. All data is collected from the Sacramento region’s air
monitoring network.
Save Planet Polluto
Save Planet Polluto is a free interactive CD-ROM
adventure created to educate and entertain children
about air pollution and its impact on their lives.
Through a variety of challenging games, children
learn about air quality terms, the Air Quality Index
(AQI), the health effects of air pollution, how to maintain a car’s engine to reduce emissions, how ground-level
ozone and particulate matter are formed, and how to
make healthy land use and transportation choices. It’s a bright, animated journey
into space featuring colorful characters.
Save Planet Polluto is a project of the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality
Management District, funded in part by a grant from the U.S. EPA Office of
Transportation & Air Quality.
To order your free CD, visit www.PlanetPolluto.com.
Smog City
Smog City is an air pollution simulator on the Web. It shows how your
transportation choices, environmental factors and land use affect air pollution
levels. As you make your button selection, you’ll control weather and traffic
conditions, population, industry growth, and use of consumer goods.Watch how
ozone levels develop under thousands of different scenarios. Enter Smog City at
www.SpareTheAir.com.
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Daily Air Quality Information:
(916) 874-4801
www.SpareTheAir.com
Additional Information:
Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality
Management District, Community Education Office
(916) 874-4848
El Dorado County Air Quality Management District
(530) 621-6662
Feather River Air Quality Management District
(Yuba and Sutter Counties)
(530) 634-7659
Placer County Air Pollution Control District
(530) 889-7130
Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District
(530) 757-3650
American Lung Association of SacramentoEmigrant Trails
(916) 444-LUNG (5864)
777 - 12th Street, 3rd Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 874-4800
Web sites: www.SpareTheAir.com
www.AirQuality.org
This booklet was created by the Sacramento Metropolitan Air
Quality Management District for use by the air districts of the
Sacramento region.
©2004
Printed on recycled paper