# Presentation: 657293

## Slide 1

**Notes:**
Now I’d like to talk about how weather relates to air pollution, and how air pollution can affect your health. 
To do this, I’m going to begin by asking you some true or false questions. 
True or false: Rain can have an effect on air pollution. [Correct response: true]
True. Rain can help to remove pollutants from the atmosphere. The intensity of the rain determines how much it actually cleans the air. The harder it pours, the more pollutants get removed from the air. But the rain deposits pollutants from the air onto the surface of the ground, which can contribute to water pollution.

**Notes:**
True or false: Other types of weather can also have an effect on air pollution. [Correct response: true]
True. Wind can affect air pollution. Wind can move air pollution to different places, sometimes hundreds of miles away.
What other kinds of weather conditions do you think can affect air pollution? [You may want to wait for a few responses]

**Notes:**
High and low pressure have a lot to do with the levels of pollution in the air.

**Notes:**
High pressure compresses more molecules of air into a smaller space.
Low pressure allows molecules of air to occupy a larger area.

**Notes:**
In low pressure systems, rising parcels of air create motion and mixing in the atmosphere.
This mixing generally keeps pollutants from building up.
The rising air also often causes clouds, rain, and thunderstorms to form.

**Notes:**
High pressure systems do not allow air – or pollutants – to rise, so pollutants stay where they are and build up.
Sunshine, high temperatures, and light winds often occur in high pressure systems.
On clear days, sunlight and high temperatures can “bake” certain chemicals, causing them to react and form ozone, one type of air pollutant.

**Notes:**
These are the basic formulas for poor and good air quality.

**Notes:**
This photo demonstrates pollutants being trapped in lower levels of the atmosphere. Why? Because if the air can’t move, pollutants are trapped, stay where they are, and build up.

## Slide 9

**Notes:**
There are many sources of air pollution, such as cars, factories, power plants that produce electricity, some ordinary products like house paints, and many other things. 
Sometimes nature can pollute the air. The bottom two photos show a forest fire and a volcano, both of which can pollute the air. 
If you lived near a forest fire, what do you think it would feel like to breathe the air that day? [Wait for an answer or two.] 
The air would be very smoky, and it might make you cough, or irritate your eyes, or you might find it harder to breathe.
Forest fires and volcanoes put small particles into the air. Particle pollution is one type of air pollution that can come from both natural sources like these and from people’s activities. 	

## Slide 10

**Notes:**
Here’s another type of pollution. The top picture shows Boston when the air is clean. The bottom picture shows Boston when the air is polluted with something called “smog.”
Smog is a combination of pollutants, two of which we’ve mentioned: ozone and particles. Both of these pollutants can affect our health.
Here’s another true or false question: Sometimes ozone in the air is a good thing. [Correct response: true]
True. Ozone in the air we breathe here at ground level is bad. But very high up in the atmosphere (in the stratosphere, which extends up from about 6 to 30 miles), there’s a natural layer of ozone that protects us from getting too much radiation from the sun.
Here’s another question—true or false: You can always tell when the air is polluted by how it looks. [Correct response: false]
False. Polluted air often does look dirty. But sometimes air that looks clean might in fact be polluted. 
You can check the air quality each day by looking at color-coded maps and health messages, like the map on the next slide. 	

## www.airnow.gov

**www.airnow.gov**

**Notes:**
This ozone map comes from an Internet website called AIRNow where you can check daily air quality for many different locations. This particular map shows the air quality and related health messages for several Midwestern states at 8:00 a.m. on June 25, 2003. 
The color scale to the right of the map is called the Air Quality Index, or AQI, which is a way to report daily air quality. The AQI colors tell us how clean or polluted the air is.
What is this map telling us about the air quality in the Midwest on this day at 8:00 a.m.? [Wait for a response] 
The map is mostly green, so the air quality is mostly “good” for ozone pollution at this location at this time.
Let’s go forward in time on that same day and see whether the air quality has changed. 	

## www.airnow.gov

**www.airnow.gov**

**Notes:**
Now it’s 10:20 a.m. on the same day. What’s happening to the air quality in this area? [Point to yellow area] [Correct response: It’s getting worse.]
The color is yellow, so the AQI is telling us that the air quality is “moderate,” which means just a little polluted. 
The health message that goes along with the yellow AQI color is: “Unusually sensitive people should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.”

## www.airnow.gov

**www.airnow.gov**

**Notes:**
Now it’s 4:40 p.m. on the same day. What is the air quality in these parts of the Midwest? [Point to an orange area, then a red area.] [Correct response: “Unhealthy for sensitive groups” (orange), and “Unhealthy” for everyone (red)] 
It’s “unhealthy for sensitive groups” (for orange) and generally “unhealthy” for everyone (for red). 
“Sensitive groups” are people who are more likely to be affected by air pollution, which includes children, because you are still growing and your lungs are still developing. 
For ozone, sensitive groups include people with lung diseases (including asthma), and active adults and children.
For particle pollution, sensitive groups include people with heart or lung disease (including asthma), older adults, and children.
When the AQI is orange, the health message is that sensitive groups should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors. When the AQI is red, the air is unhealthy for everyone; all people should reduce such activities. 

## www.airnow.gov

**www.airnow.gov**

**Notes:**
Now it’s 8:00 a.m. the next day. The map is again green, showing us that the air quality is much better.
The pattern we saw in the Midwest maps is very typical for ozone pollution: Ozone is often worse in the summer, and worse in the mid-afternoon to early evening, because sunlight and higher temperatures “bake” the pollution from sources such as car exhaust, gasoline vapors, factory emissions, and chemical solvents, and form ozone.

## Slide 15

**Notes:**
There are several things you can do to protect your health.
First, you can check whether the air is polluted each day. You can check out the AQI daily on the Internet at the AIRNow website. Also many newspapers and TV and radio weather forecasts include air quality reports.
If you find out that the air is polluted, here are some things you can do.  	

## Slide 16

**Notes:**
Exercise is important to staying healthy, so it’s good to be outside. But when the air is polluted, take it easier when you’re outside. That might mean not running around as much as you normally would, or for as long a time. Or take frequent breaks, or plan to be outside at another time or on another day when the air is cleaner.
Let’s think about why this makes sense. Do you breathe more when you’re active, or when you’re taking it easier? [Correct response: when active]
We breathe harder when we’re active, which means we can breathe in more dirty air if the air is polluted.
Here’s another thing you can do. 

## Slide 17

**Notes:**
If the air is polluted and you notice any symptoms like unusual coughing, or pain when you take a deep breath, or chest tightness, or wheezing, stop your activity and tell an adult.
This is especially important if you have asthma, because air pollution can aggravate asthma.

## Slide 18

**Notes:**
There are also things you can do to reduce air pollution, such as turning off lights and equipment that use energy when you don’t need them. Cutting back on electricity helps power plants cut back their pollution.
Also, instead of having your parents drive you all over the place - walk, bike, carpool, or take the bus, train, or subway if you can when the air quality is good. But remember, your safety always comes first! 

## www.smogcity.com

**www.smogcity.com**

**Notes:**
Here’s a cool website called Smog City where you can learn more about how people and weather affect air pollution.
Pass out handout
This handout tells you how you can visit Smog City on the Internet and how you can get to the AIRNow website to check air quality.
It also reminds you about what you can do to protect your health when the air is polluted.
In 2007, “Smog City 2” will be available, which will include particle pollution in addition to ozone.