Air Quality and Your Toddler: A California Parent's Guide to Clean Air

If you live in California, you are likely searching for information about air quality and kids. With wildfire smoke, traffic, and high ozone days common in areas like Los Angeles and San Bernardino, protecting your toddler's developing lungs is a top priority.

Toddlers are especially vulnerable because they breathe faster, taking in more air (and pollutants) relative to their size, and their lungs are still developing.

Understanding the Air Quality Index (AQI)

The Air Quality Index (AQI) is your daily report card for air health. It is measured on a color-coded scale from 0 to 500.

Image from: https://csu-ceams.com/blog/lets-discuss-aqi/ 

3 Essential Strategies to Protect Your Toddler

1. Monitor the Air Quality Index (AQI) Constantly

   • Get the App: Use the official AirNow mobile app or website (from the EPA) to check your local AQI forecast.

   • Know the Pollutants: Pay attention to PM2.5 (fine particulate matter, common in wildfire smoke) and Ozone (ground-level smog, common on hot, sunny afternoons).

   
   

2. Make Your Home a Clean Air Zone

   • Close It Up: When the AQI is Orange (101) or higher, keep all windows and doors closed.

   • Use Air Filters: Run an air purifier with a HEPA filter in the room where your toddler sleeps and plays most often.

   • Avoid Indoor Pollution: Do not burn candles, wood, incense, or use gas stoves or fireplaces when the air quality is poor outside.

3. Adjust Outdoor Play Times

   • Shift Activity: On days with high Ozone (smog), air quality is usually worse in the late afternoon. Shift outdoor play to the morning when the air is cleaner.

   • Avoid High-Traffic Areas: Even on "Good" days, try to avoid vigorous activity right next to busy roadways, where vehicle exhaust pollution is concentrated.

Resources for Parents in California:

• AirNow Mobile App (EPA): Provides real-time and forecast AQI data specific to your location, including a fire and smoke map—essential for managing wildfire air quality.

  • Link: https://www.airnow.gov/airnow-mobile-app/

• California Air Resources Board (CARB): The state agency that monitors and controls air pollution, offering specific guidance on indoor air cleaners.

  • Link: https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/

• South Coast AQMD (Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino Counties): The local agency offering alerts and forecasts specific to the South Coast Air Basin.

  • Link: https://www.aqmd.gov/

Sources:

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) / AirNow: https://www.airnow.gov/

• California Department of Education (CDE): https://www.cde.ca.gov/

• American Lung Association: https://www.lung.org/

• Intermountain Health: https://intermountainhealthcare.org/