Australian Air Quality: Comparison with the US EPA AQI scale.

Posted on September 6th 2014
(re-edited on January 1st 2020)
ແບ່ງປັນ: aqicn.org/faq/2014-09-06/australian-air-quality-comparison-with-the-us-epa-aqi-scale/lo/

The Air Quality data for Perth and Western Australia is finally available after a long waiting time.

The department of Environmental Regulation (D.E.R.) from the government of Western Australia, is now publishing the data on their site: der.wa.gov.au/your-environment/air.

While the link to the DEC site is still not working, the feed can be accessed from this new page.



However, unlike the other territories in Australia, WA DER is not providing the readings in raw ppm and µg/m3, but directly in AQI. The AQI scale used by the WA DER is not the same as the one from the US EPA, which we are using for all the stations reported on the World Air Quality Index project. So this aim of the FAQ entry is to explain how the convertion between the two AQI scales is done.


oOo

The WA DER AQI scale is based on the "National Environment Protection (Ambient Air Quality) Measure standards and goals" (available form this link and this other link), which is defined in the table below. Based on this standard, it is possible to deduct the raw readings from the AQI, which is indicated by the last column in the table;

Pollutant Averaging period Maximum concentration Raw data convertion formula
Fine Particles (PM2.5) 1 day 25µg/m3 Mass = AQI*25/100 (µg/m3)
Respirable Particles (PM10) 1 day 50µg/m3 Mass = AQI*50/100 (µg/m3)
Carbon monoxide (CO) 8 hours 9.0ppm Count = AQI*9.0/100 (ppm)
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) 1 hour 0.12ppm Count = AQI*0.12/100 (ppm)
1 year 0.03ppm
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) 1 hour 0.20ppm Count = AQI*0.20/100 (ppm)
1 day 0.08ppm
1 year 0.02ppm
Photochemical oxidants
(Ozone, O3)
1 hour 0.10ppm Count = AQI*0.10/100 (ppm)
4 hours 0.08ppm
Lead 1 year 0.50µg/m3 n/a

Actually, surprisingly enough, the WA DER AQI scale is much more strict than the US EPA when the AQI is above 50! Check for this comparitive tables for PM2.5:

Particule
mass
10 µg/m320 µg/m330 µg/m340 µg/m350 µg/m360 µg/m370 µg/m380 µg/m390
         
WA DER
Standard:
0..5050..100100..150150..200200..300300.....
         
US EPA
Standard:
0..5050..100100..150150..200

And this comparison is for the PM10:

Particule
mass
20 µg/m340 µg/m360 µg/m380 µg/m3100 µg/m3120 µg/m3140 µg/m3160 µg/m3180
         
WA DER
Standard:
0..5050..100100..150150..200200..300300.....
         
US EPA
Standard:
0..5050..100100..150

For now, we will keep the using the US EPA standard, simply because it is the one we use for the overall Australia.

We will also post an update later, once enough data has been gathered to do more comparison of those 2 scales. We currently assume that the Air Quality in Western Australia is not just the same as in China, where AQI above 200 is common, and that AQI below 50 should be the norm, in which case the PM2.5 reported AQI should be similar for both scales (assuming that PM2.5 is the major pollutant).




--

Note: This article is part of a series on Worldwide Air Quality scales.

For more information about specific countries or continent, please refer to those articles:
Thailand and Malysia
-
India
-
China
-
Hong Kong / Canada (Air Quality Health Index)
-
South America
-
Australia
-
Quebec and Montreal
-
Singapore
-
Poland
-
Indonesia
.

For information about the 24 hours averaging used or Ozone and Particulate Matter (PM2.5), please refer to those two articles: Ground Ozone Index - PM2.5 Instant Cast

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
  • ກ່ຽວກັບການວັດແທກຄຸນນະພາບອາກາດ ແລະມົນລະພິດ:

    ກ່ຽວກັບລະດັບຄຸນນະພາບອາກາດ

    -ດັດຊະນີຄຸນນະພາບອາກາດ (AQI) ຄ່າLevels of Health Concern
    0 - 50ດີຄຸນນະພາບທາງອາກາດຖືກພິຈາລະນາເປັນທີ່ພໍໃຈ, ແລະມົນລະພິດທາງອາກາດກໍ່ມີຄວາມສ່ຽງຫນ້ອຍຫຼືບໍ່ມີຄວາມສ່ຽງ
    51 -100ປານກາງຄຸນນະພາບທາງອາກາດແມ່ນການຮັບຮອງ; ຢ່າງໃດກໍ່ຕາມ, ສໍາລັບບາງມົນລະພິດອາດມີຄວາມກັງວົນກ່ຽວກັບສຸຂະພາບໃນລະດັບປານກາງສໍາລັບຈໍານວນຜູ້ທີ່ມີຄວາມເຄັ່ງຕຶງທີ່ຜິດປົກກະຕິກັບການມົນລະພິດທາງອາກາດ.
    101-150Unhealthy
    for sensitive groups
    ສະມາຊິກຂອງກຸ່ມທີ່ມີຄວາມອ່ອນໄຫວອາດຈະມີຜົນກະທົບຕໍ່ສຸຂະພາບ ປະຊາຊົນທົ່ວໄປບໍ່ໄດ້ຮັບຜົນກະທົບ.
    151-200ບໍ່ມີສຸຂະພາບດີທຸກໆຄົນອາດຈະເລີ່ມປະສົບຜົນກະທົບດ້ານສຸຂະພາບ; ສະມາຊິກຂອງກຸ່ມທີ່ມີຄວາມອ່ອນໄຫວອາດຈະມີຜົນກະທົບດ້ານສຸຂະພາບທີ່ຮ້າຍແຮງຫຼາຍ
    201-300Very
    Unhealthy
    ການເຕືອນໄພດ້ານສຸຂະພາບຂອງສະພາບສຸກເສີນ. ປະຊາກອນທັງຫມົດແມ່ນມັກຈະໄດ້ຮັບຜົນກະທົບ.
    300+ອັນຕະລາຍເຕືອນດ້ານສຸຂະພາບ: ທຸກໆຄົນອາດຈະມີຜົນກະທົບທາງສຸຂະພາບທີ່ຮ້າຍແຮງກວ່າເກົ່າ

    ເພື່ອຮູ້ເພີ່ມເຕີມກ່ຽວກັບຄຸນນະພາບອາກາດ ແລະມົນລະພິດ, ໃຫ້ກວດເບິ່ງ ຫົວຂໍ້ຄຸນນະພາບອາກາດຂອງ wikipedia ຫຼື ຄູ່ມື airnow ກ່ຽວກັບຄຸນນະພາບອາກາດ ແລະສຸຂະພາບຂອງເຈົ້າ .

    ສໍາລັບຄໍາແນະນໍາດ້ານສຸຂະພາບທີ່ເປັນປະໂຫຍດຫຼາຍຂອງທ່ານຫມໍປັກກິ່ງ Richard Saint Cyr MD, ກວດເບິ່ງ blog www.myhealthbeijing.com .


    ແຈ້ງການນໍາໃຊ້: ຂໍ້ມູນຄຸນນະພາບອາກາດທັງຫມົດແມ່ນບໍ່ຖືກຕ້ອງໃນເວລາທີ່ພິມເຜີຍແຜ່, ແລະເນື່ອງຈາກການຮັບປະກັນຄຸນນະພາບຂອງຂໍ້ມູນເຫຼົ່ານີ້ອາດຈະຖືກປັບປຸງ, ໂດຍບໍ່ມີຂໍ້ສັງເກດ, ໃນທຸກເວລາ. ໂຄງການດັດຊະນີທາງອາກາດໂລກໄດ້ໃຊ້ທັກສະແລະການດູແລທີ່ສົມເຫດສົມຜົນທັງຫມົດໃນການລວບລວມເນື້ອໃນຂອງຂໍ້ມູນນີ້ແລະພາຍໃຕ້ສະພາບການໃດກໍ່ຕາມທີມງານຂອງໂຄງການໂລກຂອງອາກາດທາງໂລກຫຼືຕົວແທນຂອງມັນຈະຮັບຜິດຊອບໃນສັນຍາ, ຄວາມເສຍຫາຍຫຼືຄວາມເສຍຫາຍໃດໆ, ເກີດຂື້ນໂດຍກົງຫຼືໂດຍທາງອ້ອມຈາກການສະຫນອງຂໍ້ມູນນີ້.



    Settings


    Language Settings:


    Temperature unit:
    Celcius