News release: “Today is the beginning of Air Quality Awareness Week, a cooperative effort among EPA, state environmental agencies and the National Weather Service to remind the public to protect their health by paying attention to local air quality. With the onset of warmer weather, the EPA urges New Englanders to be aware of the increased risk of ground-level ozone air pollution and fine particle air pollution (when combined, often referred to as smog), and take health precautions when poor air quality is predicted. Air quality forecasts are issued daily by the New England state air agencies. Current air quality conditions and next day forecasts for New England are available each day at EPA’s web site. People can also sign up to receive Air Quality Alerts. These alerts, provided free by EPA through the EnviroFlash system, automatically notify participants by e-mail or text message when poor air quality is predicted in their area.”