It's Air Quality Awareness Week!

This week, May 6-10, is Air Quality Awareness Week (AQAW). This year’s theme is "Knowing Your Air." Help spread the word about what causes poor air quality and what we can do about it! Check out EPA’s web resources to learn how you can lead others in your community in knowing your air!

May 6: Wildland Fires and Smoke Smoke from wildfires greatly lowers air quality and has life-threatening impacts on the environment and public health. EPA has tools to help you and your community prepare and reduce health risks before, during, and after a wildfire.

Visit the Wildland Fires and Smoke page to get answers to questions, such as:

• How do wildfires impact indoor air quality and health?

• Where can I learn more about wildfires and indoor air quality?

• What is a good way to protect indoor air quality during and after a wildfire smoke event? 

• What if a portable air cleaner isn't available or it is outside your budget?

May 7: Asthma and Your Health May is Asthma Awareness Month and May 7 is World Asthma Day! Now is a great time to learn about the dangers of asthma, the effects of poor air quality and other environmental triggers, and how you can help protect public health in your community.

Visit the Asthma and Your Health page to get answers to questions, such as:

• Why is air quality in schools important?

• What steps can schools take to improve indoor air quality?

• What are indoor environmental asthma triggers?

• What is EPA's Burn Wise program?

May 8: Air Quality and Climate Climate change can threaten local air quality and your indoor environments. EPA offers a wide variety of interactive EPA screening and mapping tools on climate and air quality to help you get informed and get involved!

Visit the Air Quality and Climate to get answers to questions, such as:

• What is causing climate change?

• What can we do to reduce climate and air quality impacts?

• What can people do to maintain healthy indoor air quality as we adapt to climate change?

May 9: Air Quality and Environmental Justice Studies show that many communities are disproportionately vulnerable to the dangers of air pollution. EPA offers these and many other funding opportunities focused on environmental and climate justice:

• Air Quality Information: Making Sense of Air Pollution Data to Inform Decisions in Underserved Communities Overburdened by Air Pollution Exposures Funding Opportunity
  • This program is seeking applications proposing community-engaged research in underserved communities to advance the use of air pollution data and communication of air quality information for empowering local decisions and actions that address community-identified air pollution concerns. The deadline to apply is June 26, 2024.
• Inflation Reduction Act Community Change Grants Program
  • This $2 billion program funds environmental and climate justice activities to benefit disadvantaged communities through projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until November 21, 2024.

May 10: Air, Animals, and Plants Earth's natural production and maintenance of clean air is critical to overall human health and well-being. Check out EPA's interactive EnviroAtlas to learn more about human health impacts using maps, geospatial data, and other easy-to-use tools.

Learn More About

• Indoor Air Quality
• Wildfires and Indoor Air Quality
• Asthma
• Indoor Air Quality and Climate Change