The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established one Air Quality Index (AQI) for measuring air pollutants. A higher AQI with color codes and corresponding numbers (ranging from 0 to 500) means a greater health risk. (Local AQI information is available on various apps and websites including www.airnow.gov.)
Particulate pollution, also known as fine dust, is a type of air pollutant consisting of tiny solid or liquid particles suspended in the air. It is one of the main components of wildfire smoke, a mixture of gases and fine particles from burning vegetation, building and other materials.
Particulate matter includes PM10, respirable particles 10 microns in diameter and smaller, and PM2.5, respirable particles 2.5 microns in diameter and smaller. PM2.5 poses a greater health risk than PM10 because the particles are so small (30 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair) and can travel deep into the lungs and bloodstream.
Although air pollution is not good for anyone, certain groups are more sensitive to it than others, including people with heart or lung conditions, older adults, infants and children, and pregnant women. As AQI scores rise, the risk of health effects increases, particularly in these more vulnerable groups.
“The advice to limit strenuous activity is that when you breathe more quickly, you inhale more particles,” says Dr. honest.
If the AQI is 201 and above, everyone should be concerned about health risks and limit outdoor physical activity as much as possible, she adds.
For comparison, in light of recent wildfires in Canada, the PM2.5 AQI in New York City briefly rose above 400 in early June.
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