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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Reduce the number of days people are exposed to unhealthy air — EH‑01

This objective is a Leading Health Indicator (LHI). Learn about LHIs.

Status: Little or no detectable change

  
Little or no detectable change
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Most Recent Data:
4,534,737,587 Air Quality Index (AQI)-weighted people days (2019-21)

Target:
3,866,365,816 AQI-weighted people days

Desired Direction:
Decrease desired

Baseline:
4,295,962,018 Air Quality Index (AQI)-weighted people days exceeded 100 on the AQI in 2016-18

See detailed data for this objective

Reduce the number of days people are exposed to unhealthy air

Target-Setting Method
Percent improvement

Data Source:  Air Quality System (AQS), EPA

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Summary

Exposure to air pollution is linked to many health problems, including cancer, respiratory diseases, and heart disease. Outdoor air pollution is also linked to early death. Taking action to prevent air pollution through laws like the Clean Air Act can lead to major reductions in pollution and help prevent many serious health problems.

Topics:  Environmental Health, Neighborhood and Built Environment

Workgroup: Environmental Health Workgroup

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