Air Quality Monitoring
Air Quality Guide for Ozone and Particle
Pollution
What is the Federal Standard?
The federal Clean Air Act directs EPA to establish a
health-based standard for an acceptable level of ozone and particle
pollution in the atmosphere.
The new federal standard for ozone has been established at a level
equivalent to .075 parts per million averaged over any 8-hour period. An
area will be considered in violation (not meeting the standard) if the
average of the annual fourth highest ozone readings at any ozone monitor
for any three year period equals or exceeds .075 parts per million.
The particulate pollution posted on this page is fine particle
concentrations. The standard for fine particles or PM2.5, has two parts,
one is annual and one is daily. The level of the annual average standard
is 15.0 µg/m3 annual arithmetic mean and 35
µg/m3 for a 24-hour average.
The annual standard is violated if the three-year average is above 15.0
µg/m3. The 24 hour standard is violated if the three-year average of the
98th percentile of daily averages at a site is above 35
µg/m3.
Air Quality Category
|
Air
Quality
Index (AQI)
AQI=100 corresponds to standard
|
Ozone
Concentration (parts per million) 8-hour average unless
noted
|
Ozone
Concentration (parts per billion) 8-hour average unless
noted
|
Particle Pollution
Concentration (mg/m3) 24-hour daily average
EPA's air quality
|
|
Good |
0 to 50 |
0.0 to 0.059 |
0
to 64 |
0.0 to 15.4 |
|
What does it mean?
|
|
Moderate |
51 to 100 |
0.060 to 0.075 |
65 to 75 |
15.5 to 40.4 |
|
What does it mean?
|
|
Unhealthy for
Sensitive Groups |
101 to 150 |
.076 to .95 (8-hr)
-- or --
.125 - .164 (1-hr) |
76 to 104 (8-hr)
-- or --
125 - 164 (1-hr) |
40.5 to 65.4 |
|
What does it mean?
-
Ozone:
Active children and adults, and people with respiratory
disease should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.
-
Particle Pollution: People with heart or lung
disease, older adults, and children should avoid prolonged
or heavy exertion.
|
|
Unhealthy |
151
to 200 |
.096 to .115 (8-hr)
-- or --
.165 - .204 (1-hr) |
105 to 124 (8-hr)
-- or --
165 - 204 (1-hr) |
65.5 to 150.4 |
|
What does it mean?
-
Ozone: Active children and adults, and people with
respiratory disease, such as asthma, should avoid all
outdoor exertion: everyone else, especially children,
should limit outdoor exertion.
-
Particle Pollution: People
with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children
should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion. Everyone else
should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion.
|
|
Very
Unhealthy |
201
to 300 |
0.116+ (8-hr)
-- or --
0.204+ (1-hr)
|
125+ (8-hr)
-- or --
204+ (1-hr) |
150.5 to 250.4 |
|
What does it mean?
-
Ozone:
Active children and adults, and people with respiratory
disease, such as asthma, should avoid all outdoor
exertion: everyone else, especially children, should limit
outdoor exertion.
-
Particle Pollution: People with heart or lung
disease, older adults, and children should avoid all
physical activity outdoors. Everyone else should avoid
prolonged or heavy exertion.
|
Last updated:
May 22, 2013
2011 State of Florida