How Is Your Hometown's Air Quality? Find it, understand it, post it, and compare ...

[eInfiniti 0]

Economic development brings good life to people, but it also creates certain issues in the mean time. One of them is environmental. For example, if where you live has relatively poor air quality, it is more or less harmful to your health and its long-term effect can be potentially large.

Air pollutants can in general terms be classified as dusts and chemicals. Depending on where you live, the major pollutants can be either dusts or chemicals, and they also vary due to weather conditions and from one season to another. So, when you compare air pollution from area to area, pay attention to not only amount of pollution but also type of major pollutants and seasonality.

Typically, an amount of 100 corresponds to the national standard for a pollutant. In the United States, AQI (air quality index) is used to represent the amount:

AQI Air Quality0 - 50 Good
51 - 100 Moderate/acceptable
101 - 150 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
151 - 200 Unhealthy
201 - 300 Very Unhealthy
301 - 500 Hazardous

Generally speaking, US cities have relatively low dust levels, but chemical pollution can sometimes become a problem, e.g., during hot weather when auto and lawn mower emission becomes major sources of pullution.

Normally, air quality data is published by the government and can be found on the internet. I would encourage you to find the information for your hometown, understand it, and post it in this thread. So, it can be compared with similar information of other places.

For 10/25/2009, the worst areas in the US are as follows:

Central LA CO, CA 135 Bakersfield, CA 112
E San Fernando Vly, CA 109
Visalia, CA 104
Central Orange-1, CA 91

[rob86 2]

Interesting thread. I always thought my location (Near Fredericton, NB) had good air quality but someone was telling me how Eastern Canada has one of the worst air quality because pollution blows from the west (California,NY,Toronto, big cities) to the east. I don't know how accurate that claim is, so I'm going to go with the weather network's AQI.A city a few hours from me, Saint John, N.B, one of the biggest in my small province, has an AQHI of "1" LOW RISK". I don't know how that compares to the 500 scale, but I'll assume it's very low on it. I imagine where I live, it's mostly fresh air. I was in a city in Quebec, CA and found the air awful to breathe. The scent of car exhaust filled the air. It was awful. I bet a resident of California or some other polluted place would think it was fresh country air. It just shows how people in big cities are adapting to breathing polluted air and thinking it's normal.

[linekill 1]

If I rate my hometown's air quality base on the system you provided, it will be between 10-20. You can still smell the sea breeze and fresh air. There has been an increase in automobile this past 10 years but from maybe 20 cars to 200. It's a small island so if it keep on increasing I might give it 50+ rating.

[Vistz 1]

My hometown's air quality is relatively low (10-30). I live in in an urban setting but the environment is quite peaceful. Pollution is minimal if present.

[sheepdog 10]

I have no idea what our numbers are here, but it's a small town with virtually no industry, just an Emerson Electric Co. and I've never noticed any toxic fumes coming out of the place. Years ago we had Sentinal Wood treating place, but it was shut down because of chemical polutants used in wood treating. It did stink pretty bad. So I suspect ours is pretty good, only the occasional brush fire blowing up a lot of smoke. Of course, it doesn't help if you have good air to breath and you starve to death cause you can't fine a job to work at.