Air is life. The quality of the air we breathe affects our health. Unfortunately, according to the American Lung Association, 1 in Americans are impacted by air pollution. Air pollution is a broad term reflecting the fact that there are many types of substances that pollute the air.

The gasoline used to fuel our cars creates a type of pollution called particle or particulate matter pollution. Many of these particles are microscopic. They are so small, they can get deep into our lungs and cause problems like asthma, and COPD and even worsen heart conditions. Particle pollution is often associated with areas along highways. AIRaCuse arose out of desire to get relevant and timely air quality information into the community that was historically impacted by I-81 in Syracuse, so community members have the information they need to take care of themselves and advocate for healthy community solutions.

AIRaCuse is a collaboration between Onondaga Environmental Institute, Onondaga Earth Corps, FORCE, SUNY ESF, NYS Children’s Environmental Health Center, the City of Syracuse, JustAir and everyone in the community who participates. Please attend a workshop and/or sign up for air quality alerts from our expanding network of local air quality monitors.

For step by step instructions to sign up for text alerts, please look over this helpful guide.

Air quality can vary widely within communities and can change day to day or even hour to hour. This data, shown here in real-time, can also help keep us safe by knowing when and where dangerous pollution levels occur.