Pollutant Contributions to Air Quality: A Focus on PM2.5,Ozone,PM10,NO2,CO

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Background:

Air pollution remains one of the most significant environmental health threats in the United States. According to the CDC and EPA, common criteria pollutants such as PM2.5, PM10, Ozone, Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂), and Carbon Monoxide (CO) are consistently associated with increased risks of respiratory infections, asthma exacerbations, cardiovascular disease, and premature mortality. These pollutants vary widely in how they affect the body and the environment. These pollutants contribute to the Air Quality Index (AQI), a primary way to measure the quality of air with lower values good, higher values unhealthy and very high values hazardous.

PM2.5 penetrates deeply into the lungs, ozone irritates and inflames the airways, PM10 affects the upper respiratory tract, and CO reduces oxygen delivery in the body. Despite acting through different mechanisms, all contribute to population-level respiratory and cardiovascular harm. An understanding of what each particulate matter and other pollutant contribute to AQI and their spatial distribution is paramount to guide public health interventions.

Data Source:

The dataset used is from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) through their EPA Data Mart. Link to data: https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html

The dataset contains U.S. air quality observations including Air Quality Index (AQI), a measure for air quality on a scale where high values indicate unhealthy air quality and much higher values indicating hazardous air quality. The data set has criteria pollutants (defining parameters) contributing to the air pollution and these are: PM2.5, PM10, Ozone, NO₂ and CO). The data set has geographic and population characteristics.

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