Lung Health
: Air Quality App Available

The American Lung Association launched a free
State of the Air smartphone application to help people monitor
whether their air is safe to breathe.
This tool, which is available for Apple and Android, can be a
valuable resource for people living with lung disease such as asthma
and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, people with heart disease
or diabetes, as well as older adults and children.
The app is also useful for those working outdoors and those
planning outdoor activities such as hiking, biking or running.
"The American Lung Association has been fighting for air for more
than 100 years. Air pollution threatens the health of millions in
the Northeast alone. For the next couple of days, our region is
facing temperatures nearing triple digits; with these increased
temperatures, comes the increased threat of hazardous levels of
ozone pollution," said Jeff Seyler, president and chief executive
officer of the American Lung Association of the Northeast.
Despite continued improvements in air quality, unhealthy levels
of air pollution still exist in communities across the country.
According to the Lung Association's State of the Air 2012 report
released in April, more than 127.2 million people live in U.S.
counties with dangerous levels of ozone or particle pollution, the
two most widespread air pollutants.
The State of the Air app enables users to enter their zip code or
use the geolocator function to get current air quality conditions
and the next-day air quality forecast. The app tracks levels of both
ozone and particle pollution, and pushes out alerts if local air
quality is code orange -- unhealthy for sensitive groups -- or
worse. Depending on the severity of the day's air pollution, the app
will provide vital health recommendations.
This air quality information is based on data made available to
the public by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The American Lung Association app is available for Apple in
iTunes and for Android in Google Play or at lung.org/
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