Local air quality affects how you live and breathe. Like the weather, it can change from day to day or even hour to hour. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed the U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI) for reporting air quality in areas around the country. Ground level ozone and airborne particle pollution are the two pollutants that pose the greatest threat to human health.
Think of the AQI as a yardstick that runs from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern. The AQI is divided into six categories and each category corresponds to a different level of health concern. Each category also has a specific color, which makes it easier for people to quickly determine whether air quality is reaching unhealthy levels in the community
CURRENT CONDITIONS
EPA's AirNow provides a calculator which easily helps you determine who is effected, the associated health effects, and pre-cautions that should be taken at various AQI levels. Please click
here to access the AQI calculator.
Activity Guide for AQI Color Designations by Pollutant