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Did you know that our region ranks 1st nationally in major league sports appreciation? Read about it.

We now publish 3 interactive charts with hourly readings from the 4 major rivers. Read about it.

Have you seen our Economy indicators on Hotel Occupancy? Read about it.

The local economy is less dependent on Tourism than other benchmark regions. Read about it.

Farewell to a friend: remembering John G. Craig Jr. Read about it.

The Regional Indicator welcomes Doug Heuck as our new Program Director. Read about it.

Check out real-time water quality readings thanks to our friends at 3Rain.org. Read about it.

For the first time in decades, domestic in-migration in the region exceeded out-migration! Read about it.

Despite recession, the regional labor force shows continued growth, contributing to a high unemployment rate. Read about it.

Want to become involved with PittsburghTODAY?? Read about it.

Pittsburgh ranks third in the number of LEED-certified buildings. Read about it.

A reasonably effective way to evaluate overall health status is to simply ask. Read about it.

A Little Good News, At Last. Read about it.

Did you know that 45,000 jobs in SW PA are dependent upon the waterway transportation system? Read about it.

Our neighbors in Ohio and West Virginia lead the region in classical music attendance. Read about it.

Pittsburgh trails Baltimore, St. Louis and Denver in number of cultural institutions. Read about it.

Educational and Health Services is Pittsburgh’s largest job sector. Read about it.

Pittsburgh’s unemployment rate lower than all benchmark regions for a fourth month in a row. Read about it.

Registered nurses pay is low in Pittsburgh by national standards. Read about it.

Pittsburgh last among benchmark regions in startup firms. Read about it.

No benchmark region has as high a high school graduation rate as Pittsburgh. Read about it.

A bad air day in Pittsburgh is still bad. Read about it.

Local spending on schools is low by benchmark standards. Read about it.

Rush hour traffic in Pittsburgh is less congested than in most cities? Read about it.

Have you found all 100 plus charts? Read about it.

We've recently added a sitemap to quickly find content. Read about it.

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page indicator.xsl environment_pm25_view_1

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Environment / PM2.5

Small particles (“particulate matter”) less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter are referred to as PM2.5. These particles are so small that they can get deep into the lungs and cause breathing problems. PM2.5 is caused by all types of combustion, including motor vehicles, power plants, residential wood burning, forest fires, agricultural burning, and some industrial processes. PM2.5 is carried by the wind, so particulate matter generated in one state can affect PM2.5 levels in downwind areas.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established standards requiring that the maximum daily PM2.5 level at any location be no greater than 65 micrograms per cubic meter, and the annual average of the daily PM2.5 maximums at any location be no greater than 15 micrograms per cubic meter.

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Envrionmental Protection Agency

The maximum daily levels of PM2.5 are averaged across all of the monitoring locations in the region to define the pollution level at the “average location,” then averaged over each of the days in the year that PM2.5 levels are officially measured (every third day).