Air Pollution

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Prevention and Risk Factors

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers

Summary

Air pollution is a mixture of solid particles and gases in the air. Car emissions, chemicals from factories, dust, pollen and mold spores may be suspended as particles. Ozone, a gas, is a major part of air pollution in cities. When ozone forms air pollution, it's also called smog.

Some air pollutants are poisonous. Inhaling them can increase the chance you'll have health problems. People with heart or lung disease, older adults and children are at greater risk from air pollution. Air pollution isn't just outside - the air inside buildings can also be polluted and affect your health.

Environmental Protection Agency

Start Here

• Air Pollution (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences)
• Air Quality Index (AQI) -- A Guide to Air Quality and Your Health (Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards)
• Hazardous Air Pollutants (Environmental Protection Agency)
• Healthy Air Outdoors (American Lung Association)

Prevention and Risk Factors

• 10 Tips to Protect Yourself from Unhealthy Air (American Lung Association)
• Green Vehicle Guide (Environmental Protection Agency)
• You Can Help Keep the Air Cleaner -- Every Day (Environmental Protection Agency)

Related Issues

• Bad Air Day (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
• Disparities in the Impact of Air Pollution (American Lung Association)
• Local Air Quality Conditions and Forecasts (Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards)
• Protect Yourself: Respirators (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) - PDF
• Risk Assessment for Toxic Air Pollutants: A Citizen's Guide (Environmental Protection Agency)
• Tox Town (National Library of Medicine)
• TOXNET: Toxicology Data Network (National Library of Medicine) - Databases on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, and related areas

Specifics

• Acid Rain (Environmental Protection Agency)
• Particle Pollution (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Particulate Matter (PM) Pollution (Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards)
• Transportation, Air Pollution, and Climate Change (Environmental Protection Agency)
• Volcanic Gas (U.S. Geological Survey)

Statistics and Research

• America's Children and the Environment (Environmental Protection Agency)
• Breathe Easier: Dealing with Bad Air Quality (National Institutes of Health)
• State List: What's the Grade for Your Air? (American Lung Association)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Air Pollution (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Advancing environmental exposure assessment science to benefit society.
• Article: Current State of Research on the Risk of Morbidity and Mortality...
• Article: The potential of omics approaches to elucidate mechanisms of biodiesel-induced pulmonary...
• Air Pollution -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• American Lung Association
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Also in Spanish
• National Center for Environmental Health (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Also in Spanish

Children

• Particulate Matter (Environmental Health Student Portal) (National Library of Medicine)

Teenagers

• Air (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
• Health Effects of Air Pollution (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)