The Air We Breathe

The Air Quality Index or AQI is a set of measures for 5 air pollutants.

Additional information can be found at the EPA's site, Air Quality Index-- a Guide to Air Quality and Your Health (PDF).

• Ozone (1st major component of smog)
  • Health effects
• Particulate matter (2nd major component of smog)
  • Health & environmental effects
  • PM10: inhalable particles 10 micrometers or less in size
  • PM2.5: fine inhalable particles 2.5 micrometers or less in size
• Sulfur dioxide
• Nitrogen dioxide
• Carbon monoxide

The image below is from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. It shows the health statements for each of the AQI pollutants by AQI-- Good, Moderate, Unhealth for Sensitive Groups, Very Unhealthy, and Hazardous. Click on any of the designated regions and scroll down to view the original image.

AirNow

Produced by: US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Dates of coverage: October 2014 to current day
Geographic coverage: Local, State and National level
Description: About AirNow
Resources include:

• AirNow Interactive Maps 
  • See the most current air quality conditions with these interactive maps. Choose from: Current, Forecast, Loops, and Archive.
• AirNow Maps and Data 
  • Build maps to see air quality for: Fires, AQI archives, and Embassies.

Outdoor Air Quality Data

Produced by: US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA Air Data)
Dates of coverage: 1980 to most current available
Geographic coverage: Local, State and National level
Description: Air Data Basic Information
Resources include:

• Summary Reports
  • Air Quality Index Report
  • Air Quality Statistics Report
  • Monitor Values Report
  • Monitor Values Report - Hazardous Air Pollutants 
  • Air Quality Index Daily Values Report
• Data Visualizations
  • Daily Air Quality Tracker 
  • Daily Air Quality Tracker (PDF) 
  • Tile Plot - Multiyear 
  • Tile Plot - Single Year 
  • AQI Plot 
  • Concentration Plot 
  • Ozone Exceedances Plot 
  • Concentration Map

Air Quality Index (Pennsylvania)

Produced by: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Dates of coverage: Current day
Geographic coverage: Pennsylvania regions

• Northwest PA
• Southwest PA
• Central PA
• Northeast PA
• Lehigh Valley
• Susquehanna
• Southeast PA
• Air Quality Partnership
  • Ozone/PM2.5 Forecasts
    • Historical Tally of Forecasts by Color Code
    • Forecast calendar by date/location

PurpleAir Particulate Matter

Produced by: PurpleAir
Dates of coverage: Current day with downloadable archived data
Geographic coverage: Local, State, and National

This site uses crowd sourcing to gather particulate matter data from sites around the world. After clicking on the link, enable the location finder, click on the map, or enter a state, city, or zip code in the search box in the upper left corner. You can view up to 7 days of data. To see more data, you will need to download the full data set.

AirData Air Quality Monitors

Produced by: US Environmental Protection Agency
Dates of coverage: 1980 to most current available
Geographic coverage: Local, State and National level
Instructions: After clicking on the link, enter a location to view a map of air monitor stations in that area. Click a monitor location symbol on the map to view a pop-up with details about the monitor and to download concentration data.