Air Quality Index

What is the Air Quality Index (AQI)?

The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a national uniform system to report pollution levels for the criteria air pollutants regulated under the Clean Air Act. The AQI provides citizens with information about the general health effects associated with different pollution levels.

In Spokane, air pollutants that are widely monitored are course particles, fine particles, and ozone—summer only. To learn more about these pollutants and federal air quality standards for each, click here.

The AQI converts the highest measured pollutant concentration in a community’s air to a number on a scale of 0 to 500. The data is reported as a rolling 24-hour value which is updated hourly and reported here.

The intervals and terms describing the AQI are as follows:

AQI Category	Health - Cautionary Statement
From 0 to 50...Good/Green	none
From 51 to 100...Moderate/Yellow	Unusually sensitive people should consider reducing prolonged and heavy exertion
From 101 to 150...Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups/Orange	People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion.
From 151 to 200...Unhealthy/Red	People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion. Everyone else should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion.
From 201 to 300...Very Unhealthy	People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should avoid all physical activity outdoors. Everyone else should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion.
Above 300...Hazardous	People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should remain indoors and keep activity levels low. Everyone else should avoid all physical activity outdoors.

 

AQI for Spokane, days in each category	2009	2008	2007	2006	2005
Good/Green	324	309	300	295	291
Moderate/Yellow	39	56	65	70	73
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups/Orange	2	1	0	0	1
Unhealthy/Red	0	0	0	0	0

A brochure, "Air Quality Index, A Guide to Air Quality and Your Health" is available as a pdf file. Other versions are available at the EPA's  AirNow web site. A Kids' Activities and Picture Book on the Air Quality Index Available from EPA - Click here.

Email Notifications of Daily Air Quality
Throughout the year, the Spokane Clean Air monitors daily air quality and reports pollution levels via its website and its 24-hr Air Quality Info Line: 477-2571. In early 2007, we added an Email Notification System. You can get emails at home of daily air quality, wood burning bans, etc. You select which list you want to subscribe to, for free! Click here.  

Breathe Easy Network.
In addition, the American Lung Association of Washington operates an email notification system for subscribers, called the Breathe Easy Network. The Network is a tool to give residents of the Northwest fast, accurate notification when air quality has deteriorated and may affect health-sensitive people. For more information about the Network, or to sign up, click on the Breathe Easy Network link or call the local office of the ALAW at 325-6516.