Human activity is behind most of our top air pollution causes.
Health Impacts
The Maricopa County Air Quality Department operates nearly 25 ambient air monitoring stations within the county. Data is taken from those sites and used with current and forecast weather conditions to determine the daily air quality forecast.
Air Quality Monitoring Locations & Cameras
Phoenix Visibility Web Cameras
Map points are for location identification purposes only.
PhoenixVis.net brings you live pictures and corresponding air quality conditions from scenic urban and rural vistas in the Phoenix, Arizona region.
This page provides an overview of all Phoenix Visibility Web Cameras. In addition, near real-time air quality data provide visibility information to the public.
Digital images from Web-based cameras are updated every 5 minutes. Images will appear black during the nighttime hours for obvious reasons. If the image is missing, please be patient and try again later.
For more air quality information contact us at Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ).
Current Views
South Mountain
South Mountain is a rugged mountain south of metropolitan Phoenix. The view is from North Mountain looking toward the Phoenix downtown skyline and the South Mountains in the distance.
Estrella Mountains
The Sierra Estrellas form a jagged skyline southwest of metropolitan Phoenix. The camera view looks southwest from North Mountain.
White Tank Mountains
The White Tank Mountains lie to the west of metropolitan Phoenix. The camera view looks west from Avondale.
Camelback Mountain
The distinctive profile of this inner city mountain gives it its name. It is bordered by the cities of Phoenix, Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. The view is from the Capital Mall area of downtown Phoenix looking northeast toward Camelback Mountain.
Superstition Mountains
The Superstition Mountains are part of the designated Superstition Wilderness Area. The view is looking east from downtown Mesa with the community of Apache Junction between the camera and the mountain vista.
Exhaust from cars is a significant contributor to the particulate pollution problem. Being the single occupant in a vehicle on a regular basis adds pollution to the air.
Regulated Industry Many of the man-made sources of particulate matter are dust from construction activities, vacant lots, dirt roads, off-road areas where people have destabilized soil
Media Contacts
Ari Halpert
Communications Department Officer
Maricopa County Air Quality Department
Ari.Halpert@maricopa.gov
602-506-6713
3800 N. Central Avenue, Suite 1400
Phoenix, AZ 85012
Maria Bonilla
Spanish Outreach Coordinator
Maricopa County Air Quality Department
Maria.Bonilla@maricopa.gov
602-396-0527
3800 N. Central Avenue, Suite 1400
Phoenix, AZ 85012
Air Forecasting
Updated On: 6/30/2022 - 9:53 AMADEQ meteorologists provide Air Quality Index (AQI) and Air Quality Risk-Based (AQR) forecasts to serve and assist the public, industry and agricultural operations in Arizona.
ADEQ meteorologists provide Air Quality Index (AQI) and Air Quality Risk-Based (AQR) forecasts to serve and assist the public, industry and agricultural operations in Arizona.
Current Air Quality Alerts
Ozone High Pollution Advisory in effect for Phoenix on 6/30/2022. Forecast >Ozone High Pollution Advisory in effect for Phoenix on 7/1/2022. Forecast >
What Are the Effects of Air Pollution?
Maricopa County and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have designated six criteria pollutants that are monitored for, but particulate matter (PM) and ozone are the Valley’s toughest to battle.
Ozone Effects
Ground-level ozone is the most widespread air quality problem in the United States. What are the effects of air pollution from ozone? Approximately one out of every three people in the United States is susceptible to ozone-related health problems, including shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, headaches, nausea, and throat and lung irritation. Ozone irritates the respiratory system and can inflame or damage the lining of the lungs, much like experiencing a sunburn. If this happens repeatedly over months or years, studies suggest lung tissue may become scarred, resulting in less lung elasticity/capacity, reduced or permanent loss of lung function and a lower quality of life because of respiratory difficulties. Ozone also aggravates asthma and other respiratory diseases and reduces the immune system’s ability to fight off respiratory infections. Some people experience ozone exposure symptoms with just moderate levels of outdoor exertion or even when there are low ozone levels.
Ozone damage can occur without warning. People who live in high ozone areas may find initial symptoms go away over time, but lung damage remains even when the symptoms have disappeared. To check current ozone levels, visit the Air Quality Index (AQI) online:
Who is Affected?
People most affected by ozone include children, senior citizens, people who work or exercise outdoors, people with pre-existing respiratory disease and people who react aversely to ozone.
Children make up about 25 percent of the population but account for 40 percent of all asthma cases. Their lungs breathe faster and inhale more air (and air pollution) per pound of body weight than adults. On high-pollution days, these factors put kids at risk. Recent studies indicate that children active in high ozone environments have diminished lung capacity and more easily develop asthma and other respiratory illnesses or aggravating pre-existing respiratory problems.
Particulate Matter Effects
Elevated levels of particulate matter in the air affect all Arizonans. What are the effects of air pollution from particulate matter? Both PM-10 and PM-2.5 are so small they can pass through your throat and nose, enter the lungs, and may even get into the bloodstream. PM-2.5 is believed to pose the greatest health risk because these tiny particles can get stuck deep in the lungs. What is noteworthy is everyone can suffer from temporary symptoms due to high amounts of particulate matter in the air. Children, the elderly, people exercising outdoors and those with heart or lung disease or asthma are at an especially high risk to ill effects. Consider these health facts according to the Arizona Department of Health Services and the Maricopa County Department of Public Health:
- 600,000: Number of Arizonans affected by asthma, of which 100,000 are children.
- 161,912: Number of 2013 Arizona emergency room visits with asthma mentioned.
- 3 days: Average length of hospital stays for Maricopa County residents with asthma in 2014.
- 46 percent of Maricopa County asthma-related inpatient discharges in 2014 were between the ages of 20 and 64.
- 58 percent of Maricopa County asthma-related inpatient discharges in 2014 were females.
Scientists have observed higher rates of hospitalizations, ER visits and doctor appointments for respiratory illnesses or heart disease during times of high particulate matter concentrations. Scientists also have observed the worsening of both asthma symptoms and acute and chronic bronchitis during these times. Further, relationships have been discovered between high particulate matter levels and reductions in the health of various aspects of the lungs.
Ozone: Ground level ozone is formed by a chemical reaction that needs heat from sunlight, nitrogen oxides and VOCs to form. The months of April through September make up our Valley’s longer-than-normal "ozone season."
"High Pollution Advisory" or "HPA" means the highest concentration of pollution may exceed the federal health standard. Active children, adults and people with lung disease such as asthma should reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion. Maricopa County employers enlisted in the Travel Reduction Program are asked to activate their HPA plans on high pollution advisory days.
No comments:
Post a Comment