Air Pollution-Related Illness

Reviewed/Revised Mar 2023 | Modified Dec 2023
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What causes air pollution?

Common causes of air pollution include:

  • Burning fossil fuels, such as coal, gasoline, oil, and natural gas

  • Ozone, which is formed when sunlight reacts with chemicals in the air that came from burning fossil fuels

  • Burning certain fuels, such as wood, animal waste, and crops, for heating or cooking indoors

  • Secondhand smoke from cigarettes, particularly indoors

Levels of air pollution change throughout the day. You can see how polluted the air is by checking the Air Quality Index. This is a scale from the United States Environmental Protection Agency to rate how much pollution is in the air.

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