One of the biggest influences on your health is all around you but you can’t see it. Clean air is essential for us to live and thrive; it is critical for good health.
Unclean air can pose a serious risk for everyone, but is especially dangerous for sensitive groups. Ground-level ozone and airborne particles are the two pollutants that pose the greatest threat to human health in this country.
The Asheville-Buncombe Air Quality Agency works year-round to protect and monitor the area's air quality to safeguard the public health and the environment. When the air is unsafe, the agency alerts the community through Air Quality Forecasts. The forecasts use color codes from the Air Quality Index to show the current air quality.
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Sensitive Groups:
- People with heart or lung disease
- Older adults
- Children and teenagers
- Pregnant people
- minorities
- outdoor workers
Depending on the Air Quality Action Day, different recommendations are provided for people to stay safe, some may include:
- Limit or avoiding all exertion outdoors.
- Take frequent breaks.
- Consider rescheduling or moving activities indoors.
- Reschedule activities for a time when air quality is better.
- Have quick relief medicine ready for those with asthma.
- Monitor symptoms such as shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and unusual fatigue for people with heart disease.
Note: Open Burning is generally PROHIBITED on Air Quality Action Days. Burning trash and other non-vegetative material is ALWAYS PROHIBITED.
For up-to-date forecasts and discussion, go to: airquality.climate.ncsu.edu.
Call the Asheville-Buncombe Air Quality Agency if you have any questions at (828) 250-6777.