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DNREC works with the EPA and regional partners to track air quality and help you know if you need to take precautions. For current ozone and particulate conditions, visit the
EPA AirNow website
Ozone forecasting season has ended. Daily air quality forecasts will resume in May.
To sign up for air quality email alerts
, send a blank email to
listserv@listserv.delaware.gov
with the following text in the body of the email: SUBSCRIBE DNREC_OZONE_ALERTS.
The Air Quality Index
Delaware Air Quality Monitoring
Delaware AQI (EPA AirNow)
National AQI (EPA AirNow)
The Air Quality Index, known as the AQI, is an index for reporting daily air quality. It tells you how clean or polluted your air is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for you. The AQI focuses on health effects you may experience within a few hours or days after breathing polluted air.
The EPA calculates the AQI for the five major air pollutants for which it has established national air quality standards to protect public health. Ground-level ozone and airborne particles are the two pollutants that pose the greatest threat to human health in this country.
You can access
air monitoring station data in Delaware
via DNREC. Visit the EPA
Air Now
site to learn more about the AQI, to see forecasts for other locations, and to see live
data for Delaware
or
for the nation as a whole
AQI Levels of Concern, Color Code, and Values
The AQI presents a numerical value, ranging from zero to 301 or higher, that corresponds to the level of concern for human health. Those levels of concern are represented by a color code ranging from green, a low level of concern, up to maroon, a very high level of concern. Most days in Delaware are in the green or yellow range, though there are occasional days when the AQI reaches levels that are unhealthy for some groups.
Color
Level of Concern
Value
Description of Air Quality
Green
Good
0 to 50
Air quality is satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk.
Yellow
Moderate
51 to 100
Air quality is acceptable. However, there may be a risk for some people, particularly those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.
Orange
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
101 to 150
Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is less likely to be affected.
Red
Unhealthy
151 to 200
Some members of the general public may experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.
Purple
Very Unhealthy
201 to 300
Health alert: The risk of health effects is increased for everyone.
Maroon
Hazardous
301 and higher
Health warning of emergency conditions: everyone is more likely to be affected.
Air Quality Guides for Ozone and Particulate Matter
The following are links to guides from the EPA, in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole, to help readers reduce their exposure and protect their health when the air quality is bad.
Guide for ozone
Guia de la calidad del aire sobre el ozono
Gid sou Kalite Lè pou Ozòn
Guide for particulate matter
Guia de la calidad del aire sobre la contaminacion por particulas
Gid sou Kalite Lè pou Polisyon Patikil
You Can Help Keep Our Air Clean
Ozone and Particulate Matter Forecast Reports
2024 Report
2023 Report
2022 Report
2021 Report
2020 Report
Previous Years' Reports
Ride DART First State.
Don’t know what bus route to ride, or what time to be at the bus stop? Visit
DART’s website
or call 1-800-652-DART in New Castle and Kent Counties, and 1-800-553-DART in Sussex County.
Carpool with friends and/or coworkers.
To find a carpool partner or if you already ride the bus/train, and want to register for our Home Free Guarantee, call RideShare Delaware at 1-888-RIDE-MATCH or visit
delawarecommutesolutions.org/
Limit daytime driving
and combine errands.
When you must drive, try to
avoid congested periods
Maintain your vehicle’s
emission control equipment
Walk or ride a bicycle
for short, easy trips.
Postpone
the use of gasoline-powered mowers until evening.
Refuel your car in the evening – and
don’t top off your tank
Avoid
lighting your barbecue with
starter fluid
Avoid prolonged idling
and jackrabbit starts.
Use latex
rather than oil-based paints.
Ground-level ozone is a real threat to our health because it reacts with sensitive lung tissue, causing harmful changes in breathing passages. Children, the elderly and individuals with respiratory diseases are especially harmed by ozone. Even healthy individuals can be harmed if they attempt strenuous activity on days with high ozone…those days should be used for inside low physical stress activity.
Remember, this may seem like a small contribution by you as an individual, but if we can get solid public involvement, working together we CAN make a real difference!
Any health related questions should be directed to the Division of Public Health at 302-744-4700. All other questions should be directed to the Division of Air Quality at 302-739-9402.
The Air Quality Partnership of Delaware
DNREC is a member of the
Air Quality Partnership of Delaware
, which is a public/private coalition of businesses, agencies, and individuals interested in clean air. The mission of this partnership is to raise awareness and inform Delawareans about practices that improve air quality and citizen health.
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aqi
clean air
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Health and Safety
ozone
particulate matter
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Ozone and Particulate Matter Forecast Reports
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