The Department of Environmental Quality and the Michigan Department of Community Health have partnered together to promote National Air Quality Awareness Week. The week of April 28 to May 2 has been designated to help educate the public about air quality health concerns and how everyone can help improve Michigan's air quality.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service initiated the nationwide event to urge all Americans to "Be Air Aware." The week was selected to coincide with the kick-off of the "Ozone Action!" season to increase understanding about the air we breathe.

Each day of Air Quality Awareness Week will focus on a different outdoor air quality topic:

- Monday - Air Pollution: Ozone and Fine Particles
- Tuesday - What Affects Air Quality
- Wednesday - Keeping Your Heart and Lungs Safe
- Thursday - How Air Quality is Forecasted
- Friday - What You Can Do

While Michigan's air quality has continued to improve in recent years, our state occasionally experiences air pollution levels that pose a potential health risk for some people. The DEQ's MIair Web page makes it easy to keep track of air quality levels across the state and allows anyone to sign up to receive free air quality forecast e-mail or text message notifications via EnviroFlash. Michigan residents can select to receive forecasts every day, or only when poor conditions are expected. EnviroFlash also alerts participants about air quality "Action! Days."

Transportation, energy conservation, and other personal choices play a significant role in the quality of the air. Formal Ozone Action! and Clean Commute programs encourage residents to take action to reduce pollution by raising the awareness of the alternatives to driving alone to work or school, such as taking the bus, biking, walking, or joining a car pool. Idling a vehicle for longer than a minute is discouraged because it wastes fuel and adds to air pollution.

More information about air quality levels and clean air choices is available online at www.michigan.gov/deqair.

Editor's note: DEQ news releases are available on the department's Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

"Protecting Michigan's Environment, Ensuring Michigan's Future"

Revised April 25, 2008 by Pat Watson