What Is Air Quality?

Look at this picture. Does the air look clean and healthy?  

Air quality measures how clean and healthy the air is. Lately, air quality has become a problem. This summer, many places had poor air quality. Smoke from fires made the air hard to breathe. 

Photo Credit: Alexandra Buxbaum/Sipa USA/Alamy Stock Photo

This map shows a day when the air quality was bad. See the area in red? That shows unhealthy air quality. Wildfires in Quebec, Canada made the air unhealthy. 

Photo Credit: AirNow/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

When the air quality is unhealthy, being outside can make you sick. Don’t stay outside. Find something fun to do indoors. Go outside when the air clears up. 

What Can You Do? Ask adults if they can check the air quality. Think of indoor activities you can do.  

Photo Credit: Leren Lu/DigitalVision/Getty Images