What is Air Quality Index?
AQI is an index for measuring reporting and analyzing air quality on everyday basis it tells how how air pollution affects one’s health within a very short amount of time the purpose of this index is to make people aware that how air quality affects their health regardless of whether they know it or whether they don’t know it of.
the environmental protection agency calculate this index fore five major air pollutants for which country air quality standards have been established to safeguard public health.
- Ground level ozone
- Particle pollution or particulate matter
- Carbon monoxide
- Sulphur dioxide
- Nitrogen dioxide
the higher the value this index shows the greater the level of air pollution is and greater is the health concerns the concept of this index has been used widely in many developed countries for over the last three decades it gives air quality on real time basis
How it is calculated?
different nations use different scales to report air quality for example the United States of America uses a 500 point scale whereas rating between 0 and 50 is considered as good rating between 300-500 is deemed hazardous our country India too follows the 500 point scale. each day monitors record concentrations of the major pollutants These raw measurements are then converted into separate AQI values for each pollutant using standard formula developed by EPA. the highest of this AQI values are reported as index value for that day.
Air quality index categories
0 to 50:- Good
51 to 100:- Satisfactory may cause minor breathing difficulties in sensitive peoples
101 to 200:- May cause breathing difficulty
201 to 300:- Causes breathing difficulty and discomfort to people with heart problems
301 to 400:- Causes respiratory illness effects people with lung and heart disease
401 to 500:- Causes respiratory illness in healthy people too it also causes difficulty while doing light physical activity
Why this index is important?
Awareness of harmful effects of air pollution is necessary Especially to those who are suffering from illness caused by exposure to air pollution.
Objectives of this index
- Comparing quality of air Qualities at Different cities
- Helps in identifying faulty standards of monitoring programs
- Helps in analyzing change in air quality
- Informs public about environmental conditions
Who is at most risk from air pollution?
- Peoples with lung disease such as asthma
- Children including infants and teenagers
- Active people of all ages who works extensively outdoors
- Healthy people who are more sensitive to ozone