Yes, this program is specific to New Jersey. Only organizations located within the state are eligible to participate.

Phase one will prioritize public organizations including:

• Schools
• Senior centers
• Summer camps
• Day care centers
• Community centers

Eligible partners in phase one include:

• Schools
• Senior centers
• Summer camps
• Day care centers
• Community centers
• County and municipal governments

A set of flags will cost you under $100 dollars, usually ranging somewhere between $60-80 depending on the vendor you choose.

Contact a local flag vendor near you.  Your order should consist of a set of five flags with the colors being green, yellow, orange, red and purple.  It is recommended that you select pennant style flags, 2 feet by 3 feet in size. The vendor will provide you with a timeline on delivery.

The AQI is a tool for reporting daily air quality levels for ozone and fine particulate matter (PM2.5).  It uses colors and numbers to show how clean or polluted the air is compared to the pollutant’s National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS).  The AQI also provides guidelines on the associated health effects and recommended actions to take for each level of the index.

For more information on the AQI and how it works, please visit AirNow.

AQI values are between 101 and 150 are indicative of air quality measuring above the NAAQS for that pollutant.  Members of sensitive groups (those with heart or lung disease, older adults, children, people with diabetes) may experience health effects when air quality is in this range, whereas the general public is less likely to be affected.

Healthy children are considered to be part of the sensitive group for ozone and particle pollution. Children are usually more active outdoors than adults, and they breathe more air per pound of body weight, meaning their exposure to air pollution is greater than adults. In addition, their lungs are still developing. It’s variable, but most children’s lungs don’t finish developing until they finish growing, usually around the age of 18. Studies indicate that air pollution can affect this development. Children are also more likely to have asthma than adults, which can be aggravated by air pollution. This may lead to health impacts such as increased medication use and increased visits to health care providers, including emergency rooms.

Check the AQI for the daily air quality forecast and the current air quality conditions. Please also see AirNow’s Air Quality and Outdoor Activity Guidance for Schools.

Ground-level ozone is an air pollutant known to cause a number of health effects and negatively impact air quality and the environment. Ozone is often a summertime problem since sunlight and warmer temperatures play a key role in the formation of ozone.  Since people are more active outdoors in good weather, it is important to keep track of ozone air quality levels during the summer months.

The ozone season in New Jersey is from March through October, however higher ozone levels tend to become an issue in New Jersey from May through September. Ozone at ground level is formed through a chemical reaction between nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) pollutants in the presence of heat and sunlight.   Sources of NOx and VOC emissions include cars, trucks, and industrial sources such as power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, and chemical plants.

Asthma is a condition that makes it difficult to breathe. It usually begins with exposure to a “trigger,” which is something (usually an external allergen) that causes the airways to react. During an asthma attack, the lung airways tighten and fill with fluid. The resulting effects are chest tightness, wheezing, breathlessness, and coughing. Asthma affects all races, ages and genders. There are many triggers of asthma attacks and outdoor air conditions can be one of them. High levels of ozone and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) can trigger asthma in children, particularly during the warm months in spring and summer.

Yes. Sign up for EnviroFlash at www.enviroflash.info, to receive your local air quality emails or to have air quality information sent to your cell phone.

EnviroFlash is a free online alert system, that delivers air quality information, such as forecasts and action day notifications straight to your email inbox or cell phone. EnviroFlash is a partnership between EPA and NJDEP.

The Division of Air Quality (DAQ) within the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is dedicated to ensuring clean air for both public health and the environment. Learn more about New Jersey’s DAQ programs.