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The AQI monitors air pollutants and the health concerns that accompany them.
With summer temperatures on the rise, the Birmingham metro area has seen a slew of air quality alerts over the last few weeks.
The warmer weather increases the chance for a code orange air quality alert. This means that ground level ozone concentrations are expected to reach unhealthy levels for sensitive groups.
Children, elderly individuals and people with respiratory illnesses such as asthma are most at risk under these conditions. Breathing ozone pollution can trigger a variety of health problems including chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, and congestion.
On alert days, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management recommends taking precautions. Recommendations are as follows:
- Conserve electricity and set air conditioners to higher temperatures.
- Limit driving and combine errands.
- Use public transportation or car pool.
- Avoid the use of gasoline powered lawn and garden equipment.
- Refuel cars and trucks after 6 p.m.
- Limit engine idling.
- Use household, workshop and garden chemicals in a way that minimizes evaporation, or avoid use altogether.
- If breathing becomes difficult, move inside.
The air quality forecast for Wednesday, June 26 is moderate, meaning that the air quality is acceptable, but some people sensitive to air pollution may be at risk.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports air quality through a measurement called the Air Quality Index. The AQI measures good/green air quality as 0-50, moderate/yellow as 51-100, unhealthy for sensitive groups/orange as 101-150, unhealthy/red as 151-200, very unhealthy/purple as 201-300 and hazardous/maroon as 301 and up.
Along with ozone levels, the index monitors five other pollutants: nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, coarse and fine particulate matter, carbon monoxide and lead. Ozone is formed when oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds react with sunlight, not from direct emissions.
Nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and lead are all emitted directly from multiple sources, but particulate matter can be an emission or result from a reaction of nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, ammonia, organic compounds and other gasses.
Daily AQI forecasts can be found at https://www.airnow.gov/.
