On the UW-Madison Campus, most days the air quality is rated good. Almost 80% of air quality measurements in Dane County in the past 10 years were at the “good” level. 

Outdoor air pollutants can affect health by causing short-term symptoms like shortness of breath or coughing. They can also play a role in causing diseases like asthma or respiratory illnesses. Individuals engaging in physical activity are at greater risk of inhaling a variety of pollutants. Students and employees with pre-existing pulmonary or cardiac conditions are at a greater risk for health impacts related to the inhalation of pollutants.

The National Weather Services (NWS) Air Quality Forecast System should be utilized to monitor air quality for individuals completing physical activity outdoors: https://www.airnow.gov

When poor air quality is observed in Dane County, the primary causes were high levels of ozone or fine particulate matter.

Ozone

Ground level ozone is created when emissions from cars and businesses mixes with other chemicals in the air and chemically react in the presence of sunlight and heat.

Fine Particulate Matter (PM 2.5)

Particulate matter is tiny pieces of dust, dirt and other materials in the air we breathe. It can make the air look dirty, hazy, or brown. Sources of particulate matter include:

• vehicle exhaust
• power plants and other industrial processes
• stoves, fireplaces, and home wood burning
• smoke from wildfires

Air pollutants can play a role in causing asthma, other respiratory illnesses, and cardiovascular diseases.  Older adults, children, and people with certain health conditions like asthma, emphysema, and heart and lung conditions are at a higher risk of experiencing symptoms when air quality is poor. Breathing in ozone or particulate matter can cause:

• throat irritation
• shortness of breath
• coughing or wheezing
• chest pain
• asthma attacks
• worsening of other health conditions

The Air Quality Index (AQI)

The AQI is a single number, presented on a scale of 0 – 500, where 0 indicates no air quality problems and 500 indicates the most hazardous levels of air pollution.

The following activity modifications should be made based on AQI:

• AQIs of 0-50 or below – Good air quality.
• AQI’s of 50-150 – No significant concern for healthy individuals. Individuals with existing lung disease, such as asthma, may experience symptoms with prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.
• AQIs of 150 or above – Outdoor activities should be shortened, and exertion should be minimized by decreasing the intensity of activity.  
• AQIs of 200 or above – Consideration should be given to rescheduling outdoor activities  and tasks if possible or moving indoors. Prolonged exposure and heavy exertion should be avoided.
• AQIs of 300 or above – Outdoor activities / tasks should be moved indoors or canceled if indoor activity is not an option.
• At all levels, special considerations should be made for those individuals with greater sensitives and therefore, greater risk.

Strategies for Managing Air Quality Alerts (>150)

• Promote awareness of the air quality issue (ozone and/or particulate matter) and helpful individual actions employees can take
• For outdoor activities encourage more breaks and assign less intense work activities.
  • Consider moving longer or more intense activities indoors or rescheduling them to another day or time
  • Use this time to complete training or catch up on other administrative tasks
• Often air quality can change throughout the day, plan outdoor activities during periods when the AQI is predicted to be lower, for example, often ozone is worse in the afternoon
• Instruct employees to watch for symptoms and take action as needed
  • Air pollution can make asthma symptoms worse and trigger attacks. Symptoms of asthma include coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing, and chest tightness.   Even those who do not have asthma could experience these symptoms
  • If symptoms occur employees might need to take a break, do a less intense activity, stop all activity, go indoors, or use quick-relief medicine as prescribed.
  • If symptoms don’t improve, employees should be instructed to get medical help
• For particulate matter alert days (wildfire smoke), make voluntary use N95 respirators available to employees when working outdoors.
  • N95 respirators can be ordered at no cost on ShopUW+ under MDS WAREHOUSE/MDS CORESTOCK punchout site, part numbers EOC-DC300N95, EOCN95 FF, EOC-EXPIRED-PC520L, or EOCH910-PLUS
• Be prepared to provide timely two‐way communication to outdoor workers regarding current and anticipated worsening air quality conditions
• If employees use an inhaler, they should keep it with them

Outdoor Air Quality | Public Health Madison & Dane County (publichealthmdc.com)
Air Quality and Outdoor Activity Guidance for Schools, EPA-456/F-14-003, August 2014 (airnow.gov)