Air Quality Awareness Week began in the United States this week, with the Environmental Protection Agency urging residents to monitor pollution levels and take steps to reduce exposure.
The EPA-sponsored campaign runs from May 4 to May 8, 2026, and focuses on pollutants including ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter, according to the programme guidance.
The campaign schedule lists wildland fires and smoke for May 4, asthma and health for May 5, indoor air quality for May 6, and air, animals and plants for May 7.
The American Lung Association’s 2026 “State of the Air” report said 33.5 million children in the United States, nearly half of all U.S. minors, live in areas with failing air quality grades.
NASA’s Ozone Monitoring Instrument data on the Aura satellite shows changes in global nitrogen dioxide emissions between 2005 and 2018, with reductions in some regions and continuing hotspots tied to traffic, fuel burning and industrial activity.
Health guidance cited in the source identifies ground-level ozone as a lung irritant formed by sunlight and emissions, while particulate matter from smoke, dust and wildfires can enter the lungs and bloodstream.
Road traffic and combustion sources mainly produce nitrogen dioxide, which can inflame airways, worsen asthma symptoms, and increase the risk of respiratory infections, according to the health evidence summarised in the guidance.
EPA resources advise residents to check daily Air Quality Index forecasts on AirNow.gov, reduce motor vehicle trips on poor-air days, avoid strenuous outdoor activity during alerts, and improve indoor ventilation.
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The guidance also warns that indoor air can be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air, especially where unvented gas stoves, heaters, tobacco smoke, candles or poor ventilation raise exposure.
