Tracking Air Quality: Apps to Stay Informed and Breathe Easier
With increasing concerns over air pollution and its impact on health, it has become crucial to stay informed about air quality levels in your area. Thanks to advancements in technology, several apps now provide real-time data on air quality, helping individuals make informed decisions about outdoor activities and safeguard their well-being.
Residents in the eastern United States, unaccustomed to the consequences of wildfires, are now directly experiencing the effects as smoke and air pollution originating from fires in Canada drift across the Midwest, Ohio Valley, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic regions.
While smoke from destructive fires in the western states has previously reached the eastern states, the Canadian fires this week have brought about the most severe air quality conditions ever recorded in certain U.S. cities. Air quality scores in New York City and Toronto rank among the world's worst.
Experts are cautioning the public, emphasizing that the smoke released by large-scale fires introduces minute particles into the air. When these particles descend to lower levels, they can pose health risks for humans. Presently, millions of individuals are under air quality advisories, and the threat of additional fires looms in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
Here are three popular apps that monitor air quality and offer valuable insights into pollution levels worldwide.
IQAir: A Comprehensive Air Quality Monitoring Solution
IQAir is a renowned app that gathers data from government monitoring stations, its own air monitors, and satellite sources. The app's interactive map, available on its website and iOS and Android platforms, offers a global perspective on air health. IQAir tracks six major air pollutants and provides detailed charts showcasing their hourly, daily, and weekly Air Quality Index (AQI) history.
By utilizing color coding and icons, IQAir represents the current air quality, displaying a smiling face for healthy conditions and a mask-wearing face as a warning for poor air quality. The app also integrates with smart home devices and provides access to IQAir's range of air purifiers and air-quality monitors.
BreezoMeter: Real-Time Air Quality and Wildfire Data
BreezoMeter, recently acquired by Google, utilizes machine learning models to analyze data from governmental ground monitors and satellites. The app offers live air-quality conditions for specific areas, incorporating variables like wildfire smoke to produce accurate AQI scores.
BreezoMeter's Android app provides additional features, such as tracking wildfire areas and offering health recommendations based on the current air quality. The premium version allows users to monitor personal exposure to various pollutants. On iOS, BreezoMeter's data is integrated into Apple's Weather app, accessible by tapping the Air Quality section.
AirNow: Collaborative Air Quality Monitoring
AirNow is a coalition of U.S. governmental and tribal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Park Service, and NASA. It monitors air quality across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, collecting data from over 500 cities and combining it with satellite imagery.
The AirNow app, available on the web, iOS, and Android, enables users to search for air quality conditions in specific areas. It provides color-coded AQI readings, displays primary pollutants and their concentrations, and offers a map of current air quality, along with forecasts and wildfire information. The app also shares US embassy readings from around the world.
Monitoring air quality is essential for protecting our health and making informed decisions about outdoor activities. With the prevalence of air pollution and climate-related events, apps like IQAir, BreezoMeter, and AirNow offer valuable tools to track air quality levels, understand AQI readings, and receive real-time updates. By using these apps, individuals can proactively manage their exposure to pollutants, contributing to healthier living and raising awareness about the importance of clean air for a sustainable future.
Alan Herrera is the Editorial Supervisor for the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents (AFPC-USA), where he oversees the organization’s media platform, foreignpress.org. He previously served as AFPC-USA’s General Secretary from 2019 to 2021 and as its Treasurer until early 2022.
Alan is an editor and reporter who has worked on interviews with such individuals as former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci; Maria Fernanda Espinosa, the former President of the United Nations General Assembly; and Mariangela Zappia, the former Permanent Representative to Italy for the U.N. and current Italian Ambassador to the United States.
Alan has spent his career managing teams as well as commissioning, writing, and editing pieces on subjects like sustainable trade, financial markets, climate change, artificial intelligence, threats to the global information environment, and domestic and international politics. Alan began his career writing film criticism for fun and later worked as the Editor on the content team for Star Trek actor and activist George Takei, where he oversaw the writing team and championed progressive policy initatives, with a particular focus on LGBTQ+ rights advocacy.