Air Quality Awareness Week in Puerto Rico and Resources to Optimize Indoor Conditions

Working Together for Clean Air is the theme for Air Quality Awareness Week (AQAW) in 2023. Since 2007, AQAW has been recognized in Puerto Rico and throughout the rest of the United States. This year’s annual event takes place from May 1^st to the 5^th and is promoted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), AirNow - the home of the U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI), and partners such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other agencies.

The week-long campaign promotes events that increase air quality awareness and encourages people to check the Air Quality Index. Each year, specific daily topics are announced to educate the public about how the air they breathe can impact their health and quality of life. For 2023, they include:

• Monday – Wildfires and Smoke
• Tuesday – Asthma and Your Health
• Wednesday – Air Quality and Transportation
• Thursday – Air Quality and Climate
• Friday – Participatory Science

“One of the topics that gets covered year after year during AQAW is asthma,” said Harry Pena, President of Zimmetry Environmental. “Asthma is an all too common condition in Puerto Rico. In fact, a study by researchers from the University of California San Francisco and the City University of New York found that Puerto Ricans have some of the highest asthma rates in the world, affecting approximately 14.2%. In the indoor environment, there are a number of common asthma triggers people can be exposed to at work, home or even at school. They include tobacco smoke, dust mites, mold, outdoor air pollution and smoke that infiltrates the indoor environment, cockroach allergens, pet dander, various chemicals and fragrances. For asthmatics, understanding what they might be exposed to can help them manage the disease and possibly prevent an asthma attack.”

Zimmetry’s industrial hygiene and air quality professionals support the efforts of AQAW all year long with air testing, monitoring and consulting services to identify and mitigate exposure risks to biological and chemical asthma triggers, allergens and respiratory irritants. They also provide training resources for the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the workplace.

Last year, Zimmetry sponsored an educational video about Air Quality Awareness Week that can still be seen at: https://youtu.be/XRzwmVzZspE

To learn more about Zimmetry’s air quality, industrial hygiene and building science testing, compliance and consulting services, please visit www.zimmetry.com, call (787) 995.0005 or email info@zimmetry.com .

About Zimmetry Environmental
Since 2002, Zimmetry Environmental has been providing environmental consulting services to building owners and managers, architects, engineers, EHS professionals and Fortune 500 companies. The company is based in Puerto Rico and provides services across the Caribbean and Central America. The professionals at Zimmetry offer environmental compliance, indoor air quality, asbestos, lead-based paint, Phase I ESAs and general environmental consulting services.

Contact Information

Paul Cochrane

President

Cochrane & Associates, LLC

Contact via E-mail