The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection encouraged the public Monday to learn more about air quality and how it affects health as part of National Air Quality Awareness Week from May 2 to 6.

In a news release, DEEP noted that the Environmental Protection Agency has enacted more stringent ozone standards for this year. High levels of ground level ozone and fine particulate matter pose health risks to the public, and especially to sensitive groups such as: children, the elderly, adults who are active outdoors, and people with existing respiratory disease and asthma, DEEP said.

“A new EPA ground-level ozone standard goes into effect this summer and as a result, you are likely to see an increase in the number of 'unhealthy' air days we experience,” said DEEP Commissioner Robert Klee. “The increase is due to a tighter, more protective standard and heightened awareness of ground-level ozone. It is not that our air quality is getting worse.”

Unhealthy concentrations of ground level ozone can cause or exacerbate a variety of respiratory and health problems, including asthma episodes, breathing difficulty, coughing, and throat irritation, DEEP said. When ozone levels are high, people in sensitive groups should avoid strenuous outdoor activities and consider remaining indoors in an air conditioned environment, DEEP said.

In a recent report, the World Health Organization estimated that air pollution exposure was responsible for approximately seven million deaths in 2012 and that "air pollution is now the world’s largest single environmental health risk," DEEP said.