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Air Pollution

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Summary

Air pollution is a mixture of solid particles and gases in the air. Car emissions, chemicals from factories, dust, pollen and mold spores may be suspended as particles. Ozone, a gas, is a major part of air pollution in cities. When ozone forms air pollution, it's also called smog.

Some air pollutants are poisonous. Inhaling them can increase the chance you'll have health problems. People with heart or lung disease, older adults and children are at greater risk from air pollution. Air pollution isn't just outside - the air inside buildings can also be polluted and affect your health.

Environmental Protection Agency

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About Air Quality (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Air Pollution and Your Health (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences)
Air Quality Index (AQI) Basics (Environmental Protection Agency)
Clean Air Outdoors (American Lung Association)
Hazardous Air Pollutants (Environmental Protection Agency)

Prevention and Risk Factors

10 Tips to Protect Yourself from Unhealthy Air (American Lung Association)
Air Quality Guide for Particle Pollution (Environmental Protection Agency) - PDF Also in Spanish
Green Vehicle Guide (Environmental Protection Agency)
Risk Assessment (For Environmental Chemical Contaminants and Stressors) (Environmental Protection Agency)

Related Issues

Air Quality and Ionizing Radiation during Travel (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
AirNow.gov (Environmental Protection Agency)
Disparities in the Impact of Air Pollution (American Lung Association)
Healthy Heart Toolkit and Research: Steps You Can Take to Reduce Health Effects from Air Pollution (Environmental Protection Agency) Also in Spanish
Respiratory Protection (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

Specifics

Acid Rain (Environmental Protection Agency)
Air Pollutants (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Particulate Matter (PM) Pollution (Environmental Protection Agency)
Transportation, Air Pollution, and Climate Change (Environmental Protection Agency)
Volcanic Gases Can Be Harmful to Health, Vegetation, and Infrastructure (U.S. Geological Survey)

Statistics and Research

America's Children and the Environment (Environmental Protection Agency)
Research on Health Effects from Air Pollution (Environmental Protection Agency)
State of the Air Report Cards: States and Counties (American Lung Association)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Air Pollution (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Find an Expert

American Lung Association
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Also in Spanish
National Center for Environmental Health (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Also in Spanish

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MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

Lung problems and volcanic smog

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Air Pollution is the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

What Are the Health Costs of Air Pollution, and What Can We Do About It?

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