What is AQI?
AQI stands for Air Quality Index, a numeric system that many countries use to measure the air quality of specific cities or regions, daily. The amount of pollution in the atmosphere affects the AQI directly. An increase in smog and other chemicals in the air will increase the AQI of a specific region. Generally the more industrialized an area is the larger its average AQI will be. However other factors may also contribute to an area's level of air quality. Wind, especially in northern regions, can blow pollution further south, worsening the AQI in more rural regions, the Midwest, for example, would be affected by the pollution from active coastal city industries due to the prevailing winds.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) looks at five major air pollutants that are required by the Clean Air Act: ground-level ozone, particle pollution (smog), carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. Any rating above 300 is considered hazardous air quality, meaning it is no longer healthy to breathe the air in this location. Generally most regions of the world stay below 100, however this is still considered to be unhealthy, the EPA set a standard of 100 AQI, anything above is considered unsatisfactory and action may be necessary. Some regions in China have been recorded at over 700 on the API scale! At this point it is difficult to see further than 6 feet in front of you when walking downtown.
Some countries use a different system to calculate the Air Quality Index. For example, Canada and the United Kingdom use a scale of 1-10. It is also common to find an AQI rating on a scale of 1-100. The EPA’s scale of 0-500+ is the most reliable and universal, it was the first AQI scale used, created by the 1977 Clean Air Act.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) looks at five major air pollutants that are required by the Clean Air Act: ground-level ozone, particle pollution (smog), carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. Any rating above 300 is considered hazardous air quality, meaning it is no longer healthy to breathe the air in this location. Generally most regions of the world stay below 100, however this is still considered to be unhealthy, the EPA set a standard of 100 AQI, anything above is considered unsatisfactory and action may be necessary. Some regions in China have been recorded at over 700 on the API scale! At this point it is difficult to see further than 6 feet in front of you when walking downtown.
Some countries use a different system to calculate the Air Quality Index. For example, Canada and the United Kingdom use a scale of 1-10. It is also common to find an AQI rating on a scale of 1-100. The EPA’s scale of 0-500+ is the most reliable and universal, it was the first AQI scale used, created by the 1977 Clean Air Act.