Few environmental issues have as direct an impact on the health of our communities as air quality. Bad air days don’t just make for hazy skies and poor visibility, they can trigger asthma attacks,  other respiratory problems and even heart attacks, resulting in increased medical costs and lost days from school or work. That’s why the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) has worked for decades to improve air quality by reducing pollution from both stationary  and mobile  sources, such as refineries, factories and vehicles.

The Air District Board of Directors adopted the the latest Bay Area 2010 Clean Air Plan on September 15, 2010, with the goal of improving Bay Area air quality and protecting public health. The plan is updated periodically.  The 2010 Plan defines a pollution control strategy that the Air District and its partners are implementing to:

• Reduce emissions and decrease ambient concentrations of harmful pollutants
• Safeguard public health by reducing exposure to air pollutants that pose the greatest health risk, with an emphasis on protecting the communities most heavily impacted by air pollution
• Reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to protect the climate

The Clean Air Plan addresses four categories of pollutants:

1. Ground-level ozone and its key precursors
2. Particulate matter
3. Air toxics
4. Greenhouse gases