This week we celebrated Air Quality Awareness Week. It marked the beginning of the ozone season, when the Greater Philadelphia region typically begins to experience poor air quality from high levels of ground-level ozone. This pollutant damages healthy lungs, makes people more susceptible to lung infections, and makes it even harder for people with lung disease to breathe.
While poor air quality is a risk to everyone, communities of color and low-income communities are disproportionately affected. The good news is that preventing air pollution is a positive step that everyone can take to help protect their community’s health.
Here are a few simple steps you can take now to reduce air pollution:
- Rethink how you travel and try other modes of transportation. Active transportation, like walking or biking, is good for the air and your health.
- If you must drive, small changes – like combining errands – can make a big impact.
- Skip the fast shipping option. Consolidating online orders into fewer shipments with slower delivery times can help reduce air pollution.
- Don’t “top off” your tank when refueling. Spillage adds two tons of air pollution daily.
- Don’t idle. Idling your vehicle wastes gas and pollutes the air.
To learn more about air quality, sign up for air quality alerts, and more info, go to https://airqualitypartnership.org/Resources
Source: AirQuality Partnership https://airqualitypartnership.org/