Exposure to these pollutants can cause short-term health effects such as irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, and shortness of breath. Continued exposure can also worsen medical conditions such as asthma and heart disease.

In 2021, 82% of days in Monroe were healthy air days, up from 68% in 2000. Wayne was at 94% in 2021, slightly up from 92% in 2000. In Monroe, the year with the fewest healthy air days was 2001, at 63%, while in Wayne it was in 2007, at 78%. The most common pollutant for both counties is ozone. Seneca County, which only monitors sulfur dioxide, was at 100% in 2019, the third year of data available.

Counties monitor air for different reasons: Monroe County monitors the presence of ozone, sulfur dioxide and a variety of pollutants in its air due to the presence of industrial plants. Seneca measures sulfur dioxide to track down-wind emissions from the Cayuga Operating Company Power Plant, and Wayne County monitors ozone to track down-wind emissions from Monroe County. Other counties in the region do not have air quality monitoring stations. The EPA has five categories for rating air quality: good, moderate, unhealthy for sensitive groups, unhealthy and very unhealthy.