Pollution

Breathing polluted air can be risky. Keep track of the Air Quality Index (AQI) in your area and follow the guidelines in your area to protect yourself when air quality is unhealthy.

Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities. Water bodies include for example lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and groundwater. Water pollution results when contaminants are introduced into the natural environment.

Smog is a mixture of pollutants made up mostly of ground-level ozone that can damage the respiratory system.  They form through chemical reactions among nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC).  Most of the air pollutants come from vehicles, power plants, refineries, chemical plants, and other industrial sources that create combustion from fossil fuels,  which chemically react with sunlight to form ozone.  

The Toxics Release Inventory Program tracks facilities that use, manufacture or process toxic chemicals above thresholds set by the Environmental Protection Agency and provides information important to understanding potential impacts to the environment and public health.