Many of us have been affected by the smoky conditions, whether itchy eyes or a sore throat. This has caused multiple counties to be placed on an air quality alert. This index can be confusing to understand, and know when to take action.
Our atmosphere is not just made up of oxygen. Different pollutants can be found and there are two main ones we look for: ozone and particulates. Ozone is created when sunlight mixes with chemical emissions, such as carbon dioxide or methane. Particulates are airborne particles that may include biological or chemical matter. Biological matter can consist of pollen, mold, and bacteria. Chemical matter can include lead or asbestos.
We must know how much pollutants are in our atmosphere to stay healthy. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made the air quality index (AQI) to categorize how harmful current pollutants are. There are size categories of numerical values that show how much particulate matter is in the air. Well, what do these numbers mean?
Pollutants are measured in parts per million (PPM). This indicates how many milligrams of pollutants there are in a square meter of air. One part per million is very similar to a cup of water from a swimming pool.
Anything below 50 AQI is considered satisfactory. Once you get from 50-100 AQI, it is considered acceptable. In this range, there are some pollutants in the air, but won't necessarily cause any harm. 101-150 will start to affect sensitive groups which include young children, older adults, and anyone with respiratory illnesses. The majority of the population will start seeing health effects above AQI levels of 151. Health alerts can be put into place if these pollutant levels get too high.
Our current AQI is at unhealthy levels for ozone, and slightly unhealthy for smoke. We are expected to hold onto these hazy conditions through Thursday, but a pattern change could help to push the smoke and haze out.
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