Particle pollution is made up of particles found in soot, dust, smoke, and fumes. Particle pollution monitoring is now available on the web for select areas in Virginia.

The number of days with ozone exceedances in previous years by location can be found in the Ozone Exceedances spreadsheet on the Air Quality Reports page. An exceedance occurs when an 8-hour average ozone concentration at a monitor is above 70 ppb, the health based standard set by EPA. The location and 8-hour average ozone concentrations can be found in the Ozone Exceedances - Calendar Format spreadsheet. The first ozone exceedance of the 2023 season occurred on April 13, 2023. Ozone formation is most likely in hot, dry weather when the air is fairly still. It is a colorless gas formed by the reaction of sunlight with vehicle emissions, gasoline fumes, solvent vapors, and power plant and industrial emissions. Ground-level ozone is the main ingredient in smog.

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For the Washington, DC metro area, download the Clean Air Partners’ app or sign up on Enviroflash to receive Air Quality Forecasts and Action Day Health Alert Notifications. Sign up to receive daily Air Quality Forecasts and Health Alerts by email. The map below shows the current estimated air quality index, or AQI, which is used to describe how clean the air is, and what health effects might be expected. At high levels, ground level ozone and particle pollution may raise health concerns in some people. DEQ monitors air pollution at many locations throughout the state.

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