If you’re concerned about the quality of the outdoor air you breathe, then you may be familiar with an air quality rating scale. For many people living with respiratory ailments or heart disease, monitoring daily air quality or checking air quality before going outside is a way of life. If you’re not familiar with the ins and outs of air-quality monitoring, you may wonder which rating scale to use and how to use it.
Air Quality Rating Scale Basics
The first air quality rating scale, the Air Quality Index (AQI), was developed in the 1970s by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The AQI is used to report the daily air-quality forecast in metro areas with populations greater than 350,000. The AQI measures five common and dangerous air pollutants: carbon monoxide, ground-level ozone, particulate matter, sulfur oxides, and nitrogen oxides. AQI ratings go from 0 (the best air quality) to 500 (the worst air quality).
Is AQI the Best Air-Quality Formula?
The AQI wasn’t perfect, but it was a good place to start. The major problem with the AQI is that it didn’t report air quality in real time. The AQI forecast was based on a 24-hour exposure average.
Improvements have been made over the years to make AQI’s air-quality forecast more accurate. For one, ground-level ozone is now based on an eight-hour index. The AQI had another flaw: The forecast number was based on only one of the five pollutants. The AQI forecast was essentially reporting on only one pollutant.
EPA Introduces NowCast
To give people air-quality information in real time, the EPA introduced the NowCast AQI. The NowCast expresses real-time air quality using the AQI rating scale. NowCast uses the previous eight hours to index ozone and the previous 12 hours to index particulate matter. With greater accuracy to real-time environmental conditions, NowCast is the winner!
When using an air quality rating scale, keep things in perspective. The EPA reports that indoor air quality is many times worse than outdoor air quality. To achieve better HVAC air quality, please contact us at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning today.
Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area