How to know when air quality is poor and what to do about it
With the average person breathing 3,400 gallons of air a day, it’s important to monitor air quality and pollutants. Here’s how to stay healthy.
Poor air quality can cause many negative health effects. Here are some things you can do to curb those effects.
The average person breathes in about 3,400 gallons of air each day. But when that air is polluted, it can have dire consequences. About 7 million people die each year due to the combined effects of outdoor and household air pollution, according to statistics from the World Health Organization. Separately, poor outdoor air quality and pollution account for an estimated 4.2 million deaths annually.
If you live in or near a big city, there’s a very high probability that you’ve received an air quality alert on your phone. But do you know what it actually means and what to do about it? Here’s what you need to know about air quality:
What is an Air Quality Index (AQI)?
AQI is the abbreviation for Air Quality Index. As the name suggests, this is an indicator that allows you to assess the air quality quickly with a single value.
How is an AQI constructed?
The purpose of an AQI is to show pollution levels in a way that allows us to quickly understand the impact exposure will have on our health. Not all pollutants have the same effect on health at the same concentration. For example, benzene is carcinogenic from concentrations as low as 1 µg/m3, but ozone does not begin to have significant effects until 100 µg/m3. You might be wondering what this 100 µg/m3 is all about. That’s the job of an AQI.
An AQI brings together the concentration values ââ(expressed in µg/m3 like above—this means micrograms per meter cubed) of all these different pollutants in relation to their impact on health. So, the higher the value of the AQI, the more polluted the air and the greater the health risk. On the other hand, a low AQI means fresh air and low health impact.
Why are there so many different AQIs?
Most AQIs are linked to local laws and regulations. Because countries and regions develop their policies and laws differently, many AQIs are needed to measure air pollution and uphold specific laws.
In addition, most countries’ AQIs are based on different thresholds, with different pollutants taken into account, different calculation methods, and a different number of categories. There is a European AQI, a Chinese AQI, a Canadian AQI, one for the United States, and more.
For example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency created its AQI to track air quality around the U.S. on a scale of 0 to 500, with 0 being pure air and 500 and above representing a hazardous level. In 2019, the EPA’s AQI measurement in New Delhi, the capital of India, surpassed 999 — the last possible measurement on their AQI scale. Breathing that air has the same health consequences as smoking 25 cigarettes.
Unfortunately, with that many different AQIs, it's not easy to find your way around if you want to compare pollution on a global scale.
How do you know when air quality is poor?
The sun rises over a hazy New York City skyline as seen from Jersey City, N.J., Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Canadian wildfires blanketed the northeastern U.S. in a haze, turning the air acrid, the sky yellowish gray and prompting warnings for vulnerable populations to stay inside. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
In extremely bad air quality conditions like those in New Delhi, you can see the pollution hanging in the air as smoky smog and probably smell the pollution as well.
But what about situations where the air quality is poor but less noticeable to your senses?
Scientists at Plume Labs by AccuWeather have carefully studied the various AQIs and observed two things. The first was that none of these AQIs were based on commonly accepted health impact thresholds, and, secondly, none of the AQI thresholds had any concrete meaning for individuals.
To address these issues, the experts at Plume Labs created a universal Air Quality Index based on the latest research, including updated recommendations from pollution exposure recommendations from the WHO. The Plume AQI is the scientific foundation for the AccuWeather Air Quality Scale, which is divided into six color-coded categories to help people make better clean-air decisions.
These categories and their thresholds are linked to the exposure limits for the different pollutants. Each category represents the amount of time it is safe to spend in that level of pollution. For example: one year (Plume AQI <20), one day (Plume AQI <50), one hour (Plume AQI <100).
The overall number on the Plume AQI is determined by whatever pollutant is measuring the highest. For example: if you have readings of 10 VOCs (volatile organic compounds), 25 PM2.5, 30 PM10 (particulate matter), and 50 NO2 (nitrogen dioxide), the overall Plume AQI will be 50.
In practice, this means that if an individual’s average daily exposure exceeds 50 on the Plume AQI, they may start to experience negative health impacts.
The AccuWeather Air Quality Scale
• BLUE/GREEN - Excellent: The air quality is ideal for most individuals; enjoy your normal outdoor activities.
• YELLOW - Fair: The air quality is generally acceptable for most individuals. However, sensitive groups may experience minor to moderate symptoms from long-term exposure.
• ORANGE - Poor: The air has reached a high level of pollution and is unhealthy for sensitive groups. Reduce time spent outside if you are feeling symptoms, such as difficulty breathing or throat irritation.
• RED - Unhealthy: Sensitive groups may immediately feel health effects. Healthy individuals may experience difficulty breathing and throat irritation with prolonged exposure. Limit outdoor activity.
• FUCHSIA - Very Unhealthy: Sensitive groups will feel health effects immediately, and they should avoid outdoor activity. Healthy individuals are likely to experience difficulty breathing and throat irritation; consider staying indoors and rescheduling outdoor activities.
• PURPLE - Dangerous - Any exposure to the air, even for a few minutes, can lead to serious health effects for everybody. Avoid outdoor activities.
How to protect yourself when the air quality is bad
Air quality is a serious matter that impacts how you feel and your long-term health. This is particularly true for children, the elderly and anyone who is dealing with a lung or heart condition. The best way to know if the air quality around you is safe is to first check the AccuWeather Air Quality Scale rating.
If the AQI is in an unhealthy range:
• Avoid outdoor activities, especially if you have a heart or lung condition.
• Wear a mask if you cannot limit the time you spend outdoors in severely bad air quality conditions. Choose a mask with a rating of N95, which is technically a respirator. Ordinary medical masks will not be able to protect you in severe conditions because they do not filter out harmful air pollutants.
• Lastly, do your part to help make sure air quality doesn’t get worse. Turn off unnecessary electricity, turn down the air conditioning, carpool, or ride your bike for short trips. All of these simple things will reduce the number of pollutants being pumped into the air.
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