United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Why Is Coco
Coco and his friends solve this mystery as they learn about air quality.
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Publication No. EPA-456/K-IQ-OOI
May 2010
Why Is Coco
Coco and his friends solve this mystery as they learn about air quality.
by
The
Coco has a problem. He's a chameleon, but he can't colors, and his asthma is acting up.
how Coco and his friends at Lizard Lick Elementary solve this mystery as they learn about air quality
and how to stay healthy when the air quality is bad. This book is for all children, especially those with
asthma, and their caretakers. 4-8.
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Coco, KC and Kool learned important things at Lizard Lick Elementary,
like when to change colors.
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But their favorite subject was recess.
They played leaping lizards... and had a snack
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They changed color to match their surroundings.This is called camouflage.
Kool turned gray on the rock. KC turned brown against the tree bark.
Coco coughed. "Hey, I'm not green like the grass. I'm orange!"
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"What happened?" KC asked. "Did you eat a bad fly?"
"No. My chest is tight. It's hard to breathe, and I keep coughing. I have asthma.'
Kool ran to get the school nurse.
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"Having asthma can make it hard to breathe sometimes. But it won't make you orange,'
the nurse said. "You should take it easy today."
Coco's
Asthma
Action
Plan
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Coco and the nurse followed his
asthma action plan. He used his
inhaler.
He rested for a few minutes and he
felt better.
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Recess was over and they walked to class.
'Look at that flag," KC said. "Coco is the same color.'
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"Were you climbing on the flag?" Kool asked Coco.
No," said Coco.
Brringgg!
vr
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All of the other chameleons turned gray when they sat at their desks, except for Coco.
Why is Coco orange, Mrs. Bugeye?" Kool asked.
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"Hmmm. Chameleons change color for camouflage or to communicate," Mrs. Bugeye
said. "If you didn't turn gray to match the desk, you must be trying to tell us something."
Coco didn't know what to think.
Principal
Skink
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"The flag outside is the same color as Coco, said KC
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"That flag tells us if the air is clean or dirty," Mrs. Bugeye said. "Today the flag is orange. This
website says it is orange because we have too much ozone in the air. Breathing ozone
makes asthma worse."
AIRNOW.GOV
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"But the air looks clean," said Coco.
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"Air can be dirty even when it looks clean," said Mrs. Bugeye. "Ozone is made when
pollutants from factories, cars and trucks mix together in the hot summer sun. Less cars on the
road means less pollutants to make ozone."
>
nan
ana
ana
nan
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"My dad carpools to work. So he's
helping to make the air cleaner. Cool!
shouted Kool.
"I could walk or take the bus to school,'
Coco said.
"I can ride my bike to soccer practice,'
KC said.
Good ideas! But sometimes
there can still be too much ozone
in the air during the summer.
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Mrs. Bugeye put up an air quality chart. "This uses colors, words, and numbers to describe how clean
or dirty the air is. When the number on the chart is greater than 100, the air can be bad for
kids to breathe."
"Even me?" KC asked. "I don't have asthma.
IS
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"Yes, even you," said Mrs. Bugeye. "Even if the air doesn't make you cough, air that is not
clean is still a problem for children. Your bodies and lungs are still growing."
How Clean Is The Air?
Colors
Green
Yellow
Orange
Red
Purple
Air Quality Chart
Air Quality Words
Numbers
Very Clean
Clean
Not Clean Enough To Be Safe 101 -150
For Some People - including
children and people with asthma.
Dirty
Very Dirty
151-200
201-300
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Mrs. Bugeye looked over the chart. "Hmmm. I can use this to plan recess.'
o dfr©@[fo ©@^ = Great time to play outside.
• Y©fcy Day = Safe to play outside.
o @[/®OD@© ©®£? = Okay to play outside, but take it a
little easier or spend some time resting.
o $,©$ (°\@y = No recess in the afternoon when the air
is dirty. Play outdoors in the morning when it is
cooler.
= No recess outside. Find an inside
place to play.
[ If you
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If you have asthma, pay attention to how you feel and have your
y inhaler with you. Tell the teacher if you have breathing problems
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"Can we play outside tomorrow?" Kool asked.
Mrs. Bugeye checked her computer. "The air quality color will be red tomorrow.'
"Then Coco might get sick again," KC said.
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"And it wouldn't be healthy for any of us," Mrs. Bugeye said.
"You need heat and sunlight to make ozone," Coco said. "We can play in the morning when it's
cooler and there's less ozone!"
"That's a great idea," Mrs. Bugeye said. "But we should always check the air quality color to make
sure it is safe to play."
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For the next week Coco, KC and Kool checked the air quality color before school. They
found it in the newspaper, on TV, and heard about it on the radio.
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When the air quality color was green, so was Coco.
When it was yellow, so was Coco.
When the air quality color and Coco were orange,
they played outside, but spent less time running.
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When the air quality color was red, they played outside in the morning.
Coco was green, because it was cooler and the air was still clean.
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Coco didn't have any more problems with his asthma. And Coco, Kool and KC figured
out a new way to check the air quality color.
"You don't need a flag or a computer, just look at Coco!" they told Mrs. Bugeye.
How Clean Is
Air Quality Chart
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- A can it to
- A by a It has a list of any It
to is It to do to control.
- Colors an to in its surroundings.
- To say to color to communicate.
They color see They if they are in
or if they are hot or
- A for the It is to An
inhaler is to of an is a inhaler.
- Too in the air it dirty. is
out of and are by the hot sun. is of a in the
- are the air dirty or can see
and can't. is a can't and are
can and are pollution.
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I. No play air is:
a) Orange b) Purple c) Angry
2. If air is or do to all
q) No, but fake more breaks b) Yes c) No
3. If air is **¥ery clean,** is air
q) Green b) Orange c) Purple
4. The air air is:
q) Beautiful b) Red c) Dirty
5. it to:
a) Breathe b) Fight Crime c) Read
6. of be
a) Afternoon b) Morning c) Night
7. of be
q) Afternoon b) Midnight c) Early Morning
8. If yotfre air is or it to
q) Ride your bike b) Keep playing outside c) Stop and tell your parents or teachers
9. Can you dirty air?
a) Yes b) No c) Sometimes, but not always.
10. Why is it of a to
a) You need more sleep b) Your bodies and lungs are still growing c) You eat more cookies
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What color is your air today?
To find your local air quality conditions and forecasts go to www.airnow.gov.
To have air quality information come to you via e-mail, sign up at www.enviroflash.info.
Air for
For children 5-6, Buster Butterfly shows young children when the air is clean and it's a good day to play outside. He helps them understand the colors
associated with the Air Quality Index. Visit www.airnow.gov and click "Kids."
Air
For children 7-10, three colorful chameleons, interactive games, background information and a dictionary helps guide children's understanding of clean and
dirty air. Visit www.airnow.gov and click "Kids."
for
Learn about ozone, particle pollution and the Air Quality Index by viewing animations or by using the on-line air pollution simulator "Smog City 2." (Ages I I and
up). Visit www.airnow.gov and click "Students
AQI Toolkit for Teachers
This toolkit provides teachers with easy-to-use and engaging lesson plans that explain air quality and related health and environmental information to students in
grades K-8. Visit www.airnow.gov and click "Teachers."
EPA's Teaching Center
This site is for both formal and non-formal educators who wish to teach about the environment. It offers background information on a variety of topics, lesson
plans and activities that work in and out of the classroom. Visit www.epa.gov/teachers/index.htm.
Environmental Kid's Club
The EPA Environmental Kids Club is a web site for kids. Games, pictures and stories help children explore the environment and learn how to protect it.
Visit www.epa.gov/kids/.
Center
The EPA Student Center is a web site for students covering many environmental topics and includes fun activities, projects and grant information.
Visit www.epa.gov/students/.
Tools for
Learn how to carry out a practical plan to improve indoor air problems at little or no cost using straightforward activities and in-house staff.
Visit http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/actionkit.html.
Environmental
The PEHSU were created to ensure that children and communities have access to, usually at no cost, special medical knowledge and resources for children faced
with a health risk due to a natural or human-made environmental hazard.
Visit www.pehsu.net.
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to on Pays
Regular exercise is good for kids. Keep them active, but know when to make simple changes. Check the AQI forecast each
day when you are planning children's outdoor activities. When the forecast is "orange" or "red," adjust when and how kids
exercise. In general, short periods outside, such as recess, present less risk for children.
Teachers, note that while this book only addresses ozone, EPA calculates the AQI for five major air pollutants: ground-
ozone, particle pollution (also known as particulate matter), carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. For
each of these pollutants, EPA has established national air quality standards to protect public health. Ground-level ozone and
airborne particles are the two pollutants that pose the greatest threat to human health in this country.
• Have kids it a little easier when the air is polluted, so they less pollution. For example, reduce activities that
involve running or take more frequent breaks.
• If there is flexibility in scheduling an outdoor activity, change it to a time when air quality is better. In some areas, air quality is
better early in the day.
* For children with asthma, follow their asthma action plan. If the child has a quick relief inhaler, be sure it is always handy.
* Hake indoor available, as needed, for children who complain of difficulty breathing, or who have heart or lung
(such as asthma).
* Increase rest breaks and substitutions to lower breathing rates.
* In athletic practices, include activities that involve walking rather than running.
to
* Choose areas away from busy streets for children to walk, exercise or play.
* Hake sure children avoid standing near vehicles that are idling.
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Flag
The Air Quality Flag Program helps children, parents, school personnel and the community be aware of daily air quality
conditions using colored flags. Each day, a flag is raised in front of participating schools that signals the level of air pollution for
that day. By checking local school flagpoles and comparing the colored flags to the Air Quality Index (AQI), members of the
school and the surrounding community can tell what the daily air quality is, and adjust their activities to reduce their exposure
to air pollution. The are color-coded according to the official AQI. Green indicates good air quality, yellow is moderate,
orange means unhealthy for sensitive groups (like children and those with asthma), red signals unhealthy air for everyone, and
purple is very unhealthy for everyone. The daily air quality forecast and more information about the Air Quality Flag Program
can be found at www.airnow.gov.
-
• Work with your child's doctor to identify your child's asthma triggers.
* Take to reduce your child's exposure to asthma triggers.
* Work with your child's doctor to come up with a written action plan for managing your child's asthma.
* Follow the asthma action plan. a quick relief inhaler close by...at home, at school, everywhere.
* Share copies of your child's asthma action plan with your child's school, teachers, babysitters, and family members.
• Talk about your child's asthma action plan with people in your child's life so that, in case of an asthma episode, they will know
what to do.
* Notice how often your child has asthma symptoms like coughing, chest tightness, wheezing and trouble breathing. Ask for
reports of asthma symptoms at school or child care.
* Remind your children to wash their hands to reduce the spread of colds.
* Contact your child's doctor if your child has asthma symptoms or a quick relief inhaler more than once or twice a week.
You and your child's doctor may to adjust the asthma action plan.
For more information on managing your child's asthma, visit www.epa.gov/asthma/about.html orwww.noattacks.org.
EPA's guide in includes information to help parents and school staff identify
and reduce environmental asthma triggers commonly found in schools. Visit www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/asthma.html.
Every member of the school team has a role to play to assist students with asthma. A
can help you develop an asthma-friendly program in your school. You will be able to brief school staff including
teachers and coaches on their special role in making your school asthma-friendly. Visit www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/lung/ to
find the guide and more school asthma resources.
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I. No should play outside when the air quality color is:
b) Purple
2. If air is or do to all
q) No, but fake more breaks. Exercise is good, but take it a little easier when the air is dirty. The longer you play outside, the more YOU need to take
breaks, and play games that do not involve as much running,
3. If air for is "very is air
q) Green
4. The air air is:
c) Dirty
5. it to:
q) Breathe
6. What time of day would there probably be ozone?
b) Morning
7. of be
q) Afternoon
8. If you're air is or it to
c) Stop and fell your parents or feathers
9. Can dirty air?
c) Sometimes, but not always. Air can be dirty even when it looks dean. For example, you cannot see ozone.
10. Why is it of a for to air?
bj Your bodies and lungs are still growing
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United States Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards Publication No. EPA-456/K-10-001
Environmental Protection Outreach and Information Division May 2010
Agency Research Triangle Park, NC
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