Air Quality Index for Health Professionals
What is the Air Quality Index? | Health effects of ozone | Health effects of particle pollution | Sensitive groups | Improving patient care using the AQINew South Wales Health and the Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC) have developed a system of air pollution health alerts to better inform the community about how air pollution may affect their health.
It also provides information to help sensitive groups better manage symptoms due to air pollution.
Ground-level ozone and particle pollution are the two key air pollutants that pose health concerns in the Sydney Greater Metropolitan region.
What is the Air Quality Index?
The AQI is an index for reporting daily air quality. It is an indication of how clean or polluted the air is, and what the associated health effects are, and the sensitive groups who might be affected.
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Health effects of ozone
Ground-level ozone can aggravate asthma and bronchitis and cause:
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coughing
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throat irritation
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chest tightness
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wheezing
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shortness of breath
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painful or difficult breathing and
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premature ageing of the lung.
Health effects of particle pollution
Particle pollution, can irritate the eyes, nose and throat. It can cause:
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chronic bronchitis
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coughing
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chest tightness
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shortness of breath and
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painful or difficult breathing.
Particle pollution can aggravate asthma, and even result in premature death in people with heart or lung disease.
Sensitive groups
People with lung diseases like asthma and COPD, and children who are active outdoors are at greater risk from ground-level ozone.
People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children are at greater risk from particle pollution.
No threshold for adverse effects from particles and ozone has been established. Thus, some patients may experience adverse health effects from air pollution when the AQI is fair.
Improving patient care using the AQI
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Encourage sensitive patients to regularly check the AQI by logging on to Department of Environment and Climate Change website. Patients can also subscribe to alerts that will be sent to them via sms or email when the local air quality exceeds guidelines.
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Reinforce the message that patients should ensure they have ready access to reliever medication on poor air pollution days. When air pollution is likely to be elevated for several days due to still hot weather or bushfires, an increase in preventer medication may be required. This adjustment could be included in their personal management plan.
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Help patients to understand how modifying their behaviour can help reduce exposure to pollutants. For example, people sensitive to ozone are advised to exercise in the early morning in summer or exercise indoors. On poor particle days, patient with emphysema may be better to shop in air conditioned malls than at local street-level shops.
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Provide patients with the AQI for your and your family factsheet
This web page is managed and authorised by Environmental Health of Centre for Health Protection of the NSW Department of Health. Last updated: 31 March, 2009