Air Quality Awareness Week is April 30 – May 4

 

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (April 27, 2018) – National Air Quality Awareness Week is April 30 – May 4, and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s (WVDEP) Division of Air Quality (DAQ) is urging people to take steps to reduce their contribution to air pollution.

Simple steps to reduce air pollution are: 
 
        • Carpool, use public transportation, bike or walk whenever possible; 
        • Follow gasoline refueling instructions and be careful not to spill fuel. Refueling your car in the evening or early morning when it is cooler reduces your contribution to ozone pollution; 
        • Keep your car, boat, and other engines properly tuned; 
        • Be sure your tires are properly inflated; 
        • Use environmentally-safe paints and cleaning products whenever possible; 
        • Look for the ENERGY STAR label when buying home or office equipment, and; 
        • Mulch or compost leaves and yard waste. 

The DAQ maintains a statewide network for monitoring air quality. Air monitors located around the state record the concentrations of major pollutants. These raw measurements are then converted into an “Air Quality Index” (AQI) value, using standard formulas developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The reported index is updated on DAQ’s website (www.dep.wv.gov/daq/air-monitoring/Pages/AirQualityIndex.aspx), Monday through Friday, and is also available at www.airnow.gov.

For more WVDEP news and information, go to www.dep.wv.gov. Also, connect with the agency on all social media platforms. Follow @DEPWV on Twitter, Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/depwv/, and find us on YouTube by searching “Environment Matters.”

Contact:

Jake Glance
(304) 926-0499 ext. 1335
Jacob.P.Glance@wv.gov