What is the Air Quality Index? How to Monitor Air Quality?

The quality of your local air impacts how you live and breathe. It can change from day to day, or even hour to hour, much like the weather. According to a study of the OECD Environmental Outlook to 2050, air pollution is predicted to overtake unclean water and lack of sanitation as the leading environmental cause of early mortality.

Air pollution levels in several areas, particularly in Asia, are already considerably beyond WHO acceptable levels, and the situation will worsen further by 2050.

Changing what you do on those days when the outdoor air quality is poor can lower your risk of harm. But how do you measure which days have good air quality and when the pollutant concentration in the air is dangerous for your health? The Air Quality Index, abbreviated as AQI, is a crucial instrument in assessing the health risks.

What is the Air Quality Index (AQI)?

Have you ever heard your local weatherman declare "tomorrow is a 'code orange' day"? Air Quality Index is a scale to gauge the overall health of outdoor or indoor air; it measures the changing levels of pollutants in the air.

Different countries use different scales to measure AQI. For example, countries like the United States and India use the 0-500 AQI scale based on the EPA-developed standard. On this scale, a 0-50 score is considered good, and a 301-500 score is regarded as a threat.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) measures ozone (smog) and particle pollution (small particles from ash, power plants and factories, vehicle exhaust, soil dust, pollen, and other pollution), as well as four other common air pollutants.

Year-round, AQI levels are reported in newspapers, radio, television, and the internet. Keeping track of current air quality data can assist you in taking steps to protect yourself, your loved ones, and others from harmful pollution levels.

What are the six levels of the Air Quality Index?

As mentioned earlier, the air quality index is a scale. The scale is further divided into six categories depending on the health risk the AQI reading within that category poses. Here are the six levels of AQI:

• Good (0-50): Air quality is considered adequate, and pollution poses little or no harm.
  Color Code: Green
• Moderate (51-100): The air quality is satisfactory. However, some people, mainly those sensitive to air pollution or who have breathing problems, maybe at risk.
  Color Code: Yellow
• Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (101-150): Members of vulnerable populations, such as asthma patients, may suffer health consequences; the general public is less prone to be impacted.
  Color Code: Orange
• Unhealthy (151-200): Some healthy people may suffer health implications, while members of vulnerable groups may suffer more catastrophic effects.
  Color Code: Red
• Very Unhealthy (201-300): Health warning; everyone is at risk of increased adverse health impacts.
  Color Code: Purple
• Hazardous (301+): Health warning of emergency conditions; Everyone is prone to be seriously impacted. Taking a step outdoors maybe fatal for many.
  Color Code: Maroon

"There's so much pollution in the air now that if it weren't for all our lungs, there'd be no place to put it all" - Robert Orben

The preceding quote makes one wonder how much of the oxygen we breathe in is pollution. Are our lungs only a pollutant storage facility? Increases in air pollution have been related to lower lung function and increased risk of heart attacks.

People who are exposed to particle pollutants suffer from a variety of health problems. Short-term effects and long-term effects are two types of effects. Infections such as pneumonia or bronchitis are examples of short-term effects. The long-term effects include lung cancer and chronic respiratory disorders like emphysema.

Air pollution can harm people's nerves, brains, kidneys, livers, and other organs over time. Poor air quality is significantly damaging in young children and older adults, who have weaker immune systems. Exposure to air pollution can aggravate asthma, heart disease, and lung problems. The exposure time and the concentration of pollutants are all critical considerations.

This infographic explains briefly the adverse effects of air pollution on different organs of the human body:

Air quality checkers are devices and applications that can pull data from an AQI sensor and show it on a monitor. There are different varieties of air quality checker tools. The following are some types :

Mobile app for air quality monitoring

If you are looking for a portable air quality checker, you can simply head over to your smartphone's app store and download any AQI app. One of the most reliable apps is the EPA's AirNow mobile app. In addition to displaying quality levels, some apps also include a variety of functions, such as health advice, forecasts, and weather data.

Indoor air quality checker devices

These devices are advantageous for hospitals, corporate offices, and luxury hotels. Many industries like power plants or research laboratories that deal with sensitive and highly-reactive chemical substances need serious indoor air quality monitoring. These devices are suitable for those cases.

AQI app for digital signage

Image: The screen composition is created with Pickcel's digital signage application using the free TOI News app and AQI app from the Pickcel app store

The third type of air quality checker is a software application that shows real-time air quality data on digital screens for mass visibility. Digital signage is becoming an asset for every industry, starting from corporates to education. An AQI app pulls data from a reliable third-party source and show it on your screen. Besides, most modern-day marketing strategies for hospitals put emphasis on patient experience, especially when it comes to the hospital waiting room experience. With uncertainty consuming their time, patients and visitors can quickly get irked. A digital display streaming infotainment content such as live news, AQI updates, or educational videos can keep them hooked to the screens