Ground Ozone Air Quality Index update with Instant Cast

Posted on May 18th 2015
Share: aqicn.org/faq/2015-05-18/ground-ozone-air-quality-index-update-with-instant-cast/

(Attribution: Houston Clean Air Network )

The ground Ozone Air Quality Index calculation has just been updated to follow the Instant Cast concept, i.e. to report the pollution right now instead of the pollution from the previous hours. For more information about the Instant Cast, please refer to this article.

The calculation for the Ozone Index is now using the hourly reading, instead of the previous 8 hours average, but still applying the same 8 hours AQI breakpoints formula for AQI below 100. The previous procedure for calculating the 8-hour average concentrations is not used any more for Instant reporting. Above AQI 100, the normal 1 hour Ozone breakpoints are used (while before, the AQI above 100 was defined as the maximum of the 1 hour and 8 hours readings).


The graph on the right is summarizing the breakpoints in use. The green line is the one corresponding the "Ozone Instant Cast" breakpoints in use on the World Air Quality Index project

Index Values
Color coding
AQI Category1-hour
breakpoints
(ppm)
8-hours
breakpoints
(ppm)
8-hours breakpoints
proposed new
standard from US EPA
0 - 50
Good-0 - 600 - 50
51 - 100
Moderate-60 - 7550 - 65
101 – 150
Unhealthy
for Sensitive Groups
125 - 16575 – 9565 - 85
151 – 200
Unhealthy165 - 20595 – 11585 - 105
201 – 300
Very Unhealthy205 - 405115 – 375105 - 200
301 – 500
Hazardous405 - 505--

The US EPA EPA is proposing to strengthen the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone, based on extensive scientific evidence about ozone's effects (more information). This new standard (plotted in grey in the above graph) is only for 8 hours average breakpoints, and since it is not yet approved - it is not used for the "Ozone Instant Cast" breakpoints.

oOo

For those interested in understanding how this scale compares with the scale used by other countries, the first important point to pay attention to is that the the concentration unit used for the scales can vary: For the US EPA, the Ozone concentrations are expressed in ppm (particles per million) while for many other countries, including India and China, it is expressed in µg/m3;

Therefore, the first step for comparing the scales is to use a primary concentration unit. In this case, ppm is kept as the primary unit. The conversion from µg/m3; is somewhat straightforward and consists in multiplying the number of particles by the molecular mass of the ozone times the density of air.

The density of air is dependent on the ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure, but, in order to simplify, a common assumption of a 25 degrees Celsius ambient temperature and 1 atmospheric pressure is used. Under those conditions, the following formula is used for the conversion:

Ozone Concentration (ppb) = 2.1414 x Ozone Concentration (µg/m3)

The scales can now be compared on the same ppm scale, and the two graphs below shows the respective scales for 8 hour and 1 hour. So, once again, as it has been seen many times before, the scales used outside of US are actually much more safe than the one in US!



Click here to see all the FAQ entries
  • AQI Scale: What do the colors and numbers mean?
  • Using Statistical Distances for Real-time Sensor Networks Validation
  • Nitrogen Dioxyde (NO2) in our atmosphere
  • About the Air Quality and Pollution Measurement:

    About the Air Quality Levels

    AQIAir Pollution LevelHealth ImplicationsCautionary Statement (for PM2.5)
    0 - 50GoodAir quality is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no riskNone
    51 -100ModerateAir quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.Active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.
    101-150Unhealthy for Sensitive GroupsMembers of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is not likely to be affected.Active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.
    151-200UnhealthyEveryone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effectsActive children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should avoid prolonged outdoor exertion; everyone else, especially children, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion
    201-300Very UnhealthyHealth warnings of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected.Active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should avoid all outdoor exertion; everyone else, especially children, should limit outdoor exertion.
    300+HazardousHealth alert: everyone may experience more serious health effectsEveryone should avoid all outdoor exertion

    To know more about Air Quality and Pollution, check the wikipedia Air Quality topic or the airnow guide to Air Quality and Your Health.

    For very useful health advices of Beijing Doctor Richard Saint Cyr MD, check www.myhealthbeijing.com blog.


    Usage Notice: All the Air Quality data are unvalidated at the time of publication, and due to quality assurance these data may be amended, without notice, at any time. The World Air Quality Index project has exercised all reasonable skill and care in compiling the contents of this information and under no circumstances will the World Air Quality Index project team or its agents be liable in contract, tort or otherwise for any loss, injury or damage arising directly or indirectly from the supply of this data.



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