“What is your AQI?”
— Everyone on the east coast rn
As smoke from Canadian wildfires prompts air quality alerts in more than a dozen U.S. states, millions of Americans have suddenly become very familiar with the Air Quality Index (AQI), a color-coded numerical scale that helps people understand their health risks and exposure to air pollutants at any given time.
The Environmental Protection Agency has an online dashboard (AirNow.gov) where you can enter your location (or another location) to view the AQI.
“The Air Quality Index is getting a lot of media attention right now, but it’s really fantastic,” Dr. Brady Scott, a fellow at the American Association for Respiratory Care, told Yahoo News. “Because you can just plug in your zip code and kind of understand what the air quality is like where you are.”
The so-called AirNow system was created in 1998 by the EPA to serve as a “centralized, nationwide repository” for real-time data collected by local, state and federal agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Park Service, NASA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The resulting Air Quality Index (AQI) measures the amount of pollution in the air on a scale of 0 to 500, with a higher number indicating a higher concentration of the following pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act:
• Ground level ozone
• Fine dust pollution (also called particulate matter)
• Carbon monoxide
• Sulphur dioxide
• Nitrogen dioxide
The wildfires in Canada are causing high concentrations of fine particulate matter (smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, almost invisible to the naked eye) to drift south into the air, causing the AQI to rise in states from Vermont to South Carolina.
In New York City, for example, the AQI peaked at 405 on Wednesday, the highest level since records began, according to an analysis of EPA data by Fox Weather. The previous record — 279 — was set in July 1981.
Any number above 100 is considered “unhealthy” for sensitive groups, such as children or people with heart or lung disease. When the AQI rises above 200, everyone, even those without respiratory disease, is at risk.
Or you can just go by the colors.
“If it’s green or yellow, it’s OK for most people,” Brady explained. “If it’s orange, there’s concern that some people, particularly those with respiratory conditions, could be affected. If you’re in the red zone, and certainly if we’re in the purple or maroon zone, everyone is at risk, even if you’re a so-called healthy person.”
If you haven’t already, you can Look up your current AQI on the AirNow.gov website here >>>
