It’s summertime, and the Sacramento region is in the middle of the Spare The Air season. Many people have heard of the Spare The Air campaign, but may be unclear about what it does for area residents and businesses. To help clarify, the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District wants to answer some common questions about the Spare The Air season and general air quality issues in our region.
What causes air pollution?
During the summer, the major source of air pollution is mobile sources including cars, trucks, buses, agricultural equipment, construction equipment, motorcycles, and even gas-powered lawn mowers. These internal combustion engines produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) which turn into ozone when in the presence of sunlight.
In addition, NOx is emitted by power plants, industrial plants, and other business sources. VOCs are emitted from gasoline pumps, chemical plants, oil-based paints, auto body shops, print shops, and consumer products.
What is a non-attainment area?
A non-attainment area is a geographic region established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that does not meet federal air quality health standards. For the purposes of our Spare The Air program, the federal non-attainment area for ground-level ozone includes all of Sacramento and Yolo counties and portions of El Dorado, Placer, Solano and Sutter counties.
What is the Air Quality Index (AQI)?
The Air Quality Index (AQI) reports the level of pollution in our air and provides recommendations at each level to guide residents toward how much outdoor activity is safe in relation to the amount of air pollution.
The measurements are:
Good: 0-50
Moderate: 51-100
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 101-150
Unhealthy: 151-200
Very Unhealthy: 201-300
How can I help reduce air pollution?
Cut back on the amount of driving you do during the summer to help keep ozone pollution at a minimum. In addition, small things such as using compact fluorescent bulbs, properly inflating your tires, using public transit and carpooling can make a big difference in the region’s air quality.
For more Things to Do tips, visit SpareTheAir.com. You can also sign up for Air Alert on the Web site, a free email service that provides you with the daily air quality forecast and lets you know when air quality is at its worst.