BETTER BOATING For more information, visit SpareTheAir.com or call (916) 874-4848 Spare The Air is a public education program sponsored by the air districts of the Sacramento region. Reduce Pollution from Boats Recreational boating causes about 10 percent of the Sacramento region’s summer smog. On the weekends, it adds as much pollution to our air as 1.5 million additional cars and trucks. Don’t use your boat on a Spare The Air day. • Older 2-stroke marine engines emit up to 30 percent of their fuel unburned as exhaust, which can form smog • One 2-stroke outboard motor running for seven hours pollutes more than an average car driven 100,000 miles Help Spare The Air with these boating tips: • • • • • • • • Limit full-throttle operation and unnecessary idling Repair gas and oil leaks immediately Keep the engine properly tuned Check, clean and flush the engine away from water Contain all waste, and recycle or dispose properly Use a spill-proof gas container when fueling Avoid topping off gas tanks Buy a 3-star engine, which burns 35-50 percent less gas, uses up to 50 percent less oil, and reduces emissions by 75 percent WOOD SMOKE POLLUTION For more information, visit SpareTheAir.com or call (916) 874-4848 Spare The Air is a public education program sponsored by the air districts of the Sacramento region. Reduce Wood Smoke Pollution Cozy fires are nice, but wood smoke produces particulate matter (PM) pollution that affects the health of your family, friends and neighbors. Children, the elderly and people with respiratory illnesses or heart disease are especially sensitive to the effects of wood smoke. When you hear a Spare The Air advisory, don’t light a fire in your fireplace, wood stove or backyard fire pit. At other times, you can do several things to reduce wood smoke pollution: • Purchase a cleaner burning, low-emission hearth product • Burn only dry, seasoned hardwood – it is easier to light and burns more efficiently • Never burn garbage, glossy paper, painted or chemically treated wood – these products create toxic smoke and fumes • Build small hot fires rather than large smoldering ones Health effects from breathing particulate matter pollution, especially fine particles, include: • • • • • Irritation of the airways, coughing or difficulty breathing Decreased lung function, even in otherwise healthy children and adults Aggravated asthma, emphysema and chronic bronchitis Aggravated heart disease Irregular heartbeat OZONE AT HOME For more information, visit SpareTheAir.com or call (916) 874-4848 Spare The Air is a public education program sponsored by the air districts of the Sacramento region. Reduce Pollution at Home Many products we use around the house, like paints, aerosols, paint thinner and charcoal lighter fluid contain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which contribute to the formation of smog. Follow these tips to reduce pollution at home and help Spare The Air this summer: • Use an electric starter or chimney-style briquette starter instead of charcoal lighter fluid • Replace your charcoal barbecue grill with a propane gas grill • Avoid gas-powered yard tools such as mowers, blowers, edgers and trimmers – switch to electric-powered tools • Use water-based paints, coatings and adhesives instead of oil-based formulas • Ride a bike instead of driving a car Stay informed: • Sign-up for Air Alert – your free personal air quality notification via e-mail or cellular phone – visit SpareTheAir.com • Check the back page of The Sacramento Bee’s Metro section for the daily air quality forecast, or • Call (916) 874-4801 for the daily air quality forecast OZONE AND HEALTH For more information, visit SpareTheAir.com or call (916) 874-4848 Spare The Air is a public education program sponsored by the air districts of the Sacramento region. Ozone and Your Health Ground-level ozone is a strong irritant that can narrow your airways, forcing your lungs to work harder to provide oxygen. Ozone is formed when Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) interact with the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Air pollution-related symptoms such as watery eyes, coughing or wheezing can affect everyone. Risk depends on your health, the pollutant concentration and the length of exposure. People most susceptible are: • • • • • • • Individuals with heart or lung disease Individuals with respiratory problems such as asthma, bronchitis or emphysema Pregnant women Children under age 15 whose lungs are still developing Elderly residents Athletes Outdoor workers Immediate health problems can include: • • • • • Aggravated cardiovascular and respiratory illness Wheezing, coughing, chest pain, dry throat, headache Reduced resistance to infection Damaged cells in the respiratory system Increased fatigue KIDS AGAINST POLLUTION For more information, visit SpareTheAir.com or call (916) 874-4848 Spare The Air is a public education program sponsored by the air districts of the Sacramento region. Air Quality Education for Kids Save Planet Polluto Save Planet Polluto is a free, interactive CD-ROM adventure created to teach children about air pollution and its impact on their lives. Through a variety of challenging games with fun, memorable characters, children will learn: • • • • • • Air quality terms Air Quality Index (AQI) description Health effects of air pollution How to maintain a car’s engine How to make healthy land use and transportation choices How ground-level ozone and particulate matter are formed To order your free CD-ROM, visit PlanetPolluto.com or call (916) 874-4848. Smog City SmogCity.com is an award-winning air pollution simulator. It shows kids how transportation choices, environmental factors and land use affect air pollution levels. The player controls weather, traffic conditions, industry growth, use of consumer products and population. The results show children how pollution increases or decreases and how health is affected depending on their choices. AIR ALERT For more information, visit SpareTheAir.com or call (916) 874-4848 Spare The Air is a public education program sponsored by the air districts of the Sacramento region. Air Alert – Your Air Pollution Notification System Air Alert is a FREE service that notifies you via e-mail or text message when air quality in the Sacramento region is forecasted to be unhealthy. It’s easy to enroll and you can stop this service at any time. Sign-up at SpareTheAir.com. Air Alert gives you Spare The Air advisories for ozone or particulate matter, plus your choice of: • Daily air quality forecasts • Current conditions at monitoring sites in the region You can use Air Alert to: • Decide if children should participate in outdoor sporting activities • Notify family and friends about air quality conditions • Decide when to carpool, take the bus or postpone errands to help Spare The Air