to take action to improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion.
Measuring Air Quality
The Ambient Monitoring Program at the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD), Air Protection Branch, is responsible for measuring air pollutant levels in metro Atlanta and throughout the state.
When these levels are reported, the EPD utilizes the Air Quality Index (AQI), developed by the U.S. EPA. The AQI is a scale of 0 to 500, divided into several color-coded categories. A region's AQI score at any time is based on the highest of five major pollutants for which it has established National Ambient Air Quality Standards under the Clean Air Act. The pollutants are particle pollution or particulate matter (PM), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NOx) and ozone (O3). In Georgia, the AQI is determined by the highest pollutant for which we currently monitor.
Air Quality Index figures allow the public to determine whether air pollution levels in a particular location are Good, Moderate, Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse.
In addition, the AQI can advise the public about the general health effects associated with different pollution levels and provide guidelines for protecting their health on days air pollution may be a hazard.
In March 2008, ozone standards became more stringent. Why? Science shows us that even lower levels of air pollution can harm our health than previously thought. Read what therse changes mean to Georgia, and to you.