Air Quality is important for several reasons: One being the fact that we can not avoid breathing the air surrounding us. We prefer the air that our bodies and our children's bodies intake to be clean and pure in nature. The average adult breathes in about 20 cubic meters, or 20,000 liters of air a day. Unlike our automobiles, we do not have "air filters". Our nose is as good as it gets, we have to breathe the air available to us, and sometimes that includes its many pollutants.

Air pollutants can cause a variety of health problems, including asthma, reduced lung function, lung damage, bronchitis, cancer, brain and nervous system damage, irritation to the eyes, nose and throat.

One other reason that air quality is important is that poor air quality is responsible for the thinning of our ozone layer. The ozone layer protects us from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun; this reduction could increase the chance of cancer in many of us. One other effect of a weakening in the ozone layer is an increase in temperatures which will affect agriculture production throughout the world.

There are thousands of pollutants, rural and urban, contributing to the reduction in our air quality. According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), you can help protect clean air in Kansas. When you are...

On the Road...you can:

• Take the bus, walk or ride a bike.

• Carpool to work.

• Drive your newest car...it has better air pollution controls.

• Keep your engine tuned.

• Check your emissions control system.

• Have your gas cap pressure checked for leaks.

At Home...you can:

• Use a charcoal chimney instead of charcoal lighter fluid.

• Consider purchasing an electrical mower, or push mower if your lawn is small.

• If you use a gas mower, keep it tuned and wait until evening to mow your lawn.

• Use water-based paints rather than oil-based.

• Limit use of pesticides, paint thinners, solvents, and petroleum products.

• Keep solvents and petroleum products tightly capped.

On the Farm...you can: