U.S. EPA's AIRNow program: A partnership broadcasters can breathe easy over

Poor air quality impacts over 159 million people in the United States. Knowing what the air quality forecast is for the next day can be very significant to active children, people with respiratory or cardiac problems. It can greatly improve their quality of life, and can mean the difference between a “normal” day and an emergency room visit. Communicating the Air Quality Index (AQI) and the appropriate health-related message can make a real difference.

Developing partnerships is a key way to leverage resources and improve product development. The EPA AIRNow program is a partnership across multiple federal, state, local and tribal agencies to provide real-time and forecast air quality to the public and to the media. These agencies recognize that broadcast meteorologists are “America's Science Ambassadors” and have a critical role in communicating environmental information to the public. This presentation will focus on how broadcast meteorologists can use the many free data feeds and communication products available from the AIRNow program