Frequently Asked Questions
Mixture of solid particulate (particle) matter & liquid droplets found in the air.
Dust, dirt, smoke or ash, etc.
Aggravated respiratory issues, lung damage, etc.
Wear an air pollution mask before stepping out of the home.
Install HEPA air purifier which removes indoor air particles.
Avoid activities that make you breathe faster or more deeply.
Don’t smoke indoors or burn candles or incense sticks.
0–8.9 μg/m3 is considered low as per 24-hour PM2.5
PM 2.5 is particulate matter 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter whereas PM 10 is particulate matter 10 micrometres or less in diameter. PM 2.5 is generally described as fine particles.
No. PM 2.5 is fine particulate matter (inhalable particles of respirable particles) which is 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter.
Pay Attention to the weather forecast.
Install the AQI (Air Quality Index) app to keep a check on the air quality.
Fine dust particles that are invisible to the naked eye.
Road dust, fuel emission, smoke, etc.
Asthma attacks, bronchitis, high blood pressure, heart stroke, etc.
During high pollution days, remain indoors.
Use the anti-pollution mask before leaving your premises.
Do not contaminate your surroundings.
Avoid driving during pollution alerts.
0–16.4 μg/m3 is considered standard as per 24-hour PM10.
PM 2.5 is particulate matter 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter whereas PM 10 is particulate matter 10 micrometers or less in diameter. PM 2.5 is generally described as fine particles.
Yes. It is 10 micrometers or less in diameter.
Particulate matter contains microscopic solids or liquid droplets that are so small that they can be inhaled and cause serious health problems.
Long-term exposure to particulate matter 10 can result in significant health problems including Increased respiratory symptoms, irritation of the airways, coughing or difficulty breathing, decreased lung function.
Keep a check on the air quality and weather forecasting.
Higher temperature can result in better air quality.
Thermal pollution etc.
Respiratory infections, cardiac failure, stroke, etc.
Cover yourself properly to avoid sunburn.
Never step outside without a water bottle and an umbrella.
Owing to variations in humidity and climate, the standard temperature during summer is 23 to 25.5°C and in winters is 20 to 23.5 °C.
An extremely important factor affecting exercise heart rate is temperature. Warmer temperatures cause the heart to beat faster and place considerable strain on the body.
The higher humidity level can result in better air quality.
Poor ventilation system, mist, and fog, etc.
Exhaustion, fatigue, restlessness, damage to the skin, etc.
Drink lots of water to stay hydrated.
Eat salads and fresh fruits.
Avoid being outside for too long.
The ideal indoor humidity level must range between 40-60%.
An unpleasant sound that creates discomfort to the ears.
Vehicle, horns, loudspeakers, construction sites, etc.
Elevated workplace or environmental noise can cause hearing impairment, tinnitus, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, annoyance, and sleep disturbance.
Use earphones in public areas.
Turn your music down, especially when using headphones.
Know which noises can cause damage (those at or above 85 decibels).
Don't honk unnecessarily during high traffic days.
Follow the Limits of Noise level
Shut the Door when using noisy Machines
45 decibels is considered to be a permissible noise level for the city.
Known as formaldehyde, it is a poisonous, colorless, highly water-soluble gas with a pungent smell.
Building materials, Laundry Detergent, Hair Straightening Treatments, etc.
Watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes, nose, and throat, coughing and skin irritation, etc.
Use an air purifier
Add house plants
Do not invest in products that have a high concentration of HCHO.
0.1 mg/m3 for 30-minute average concentration.
Check indoor air quality on AQI app.
Also known as photo pollution, It is exacerbated by excessive, misdirected or obtrusive uses of light.
Light trespass, light clutter, artificial lights, etc.
Insomnia, depression, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, etc.
Turn off the lights when not in use.
Use low cost, energy efficient lights.
Do not use lights, when you don’t need it in the room.
For light pollution, it varies from different space areas. To know more, click on the table.
Organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at ordinary room temperature is commonly known as VOCs or Volatile Organic Compounds.
Wood preservatives, aerosol sprays, and moth repellents and air fresheners.
Eye, nose and throat irritation, frequent headaches, nausea
Refrain using chemical products.
Use natural air fresheners such as herbal/DIY candles.
Do not invest in products that have a high concentration of VOC.
A vapor pressure >0.01mm Hg at 21ºC is an ideal case for low VOC.
At room temperature, carbon dioxide is a colorless, odorless, faintly acidic-tasting, non-flammable gas.
Cement production, deforestation
Breathing issues, headaches, etc.
Smoke outdoors.
Use exhaust fan during and after cooking meals.
Don’t smoke or lit incense sticks.
350-1000 ppm is considered normal in occupied spaces with good air exchange.
Check indoor air quality on AQI app.
Carbon Monoxide is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air.
Burning charcoal, running cars and the smoke from cigarettes
Brain damage, nervous system failure, heart failure
Turn the cooking gas or heat oven.
Open windows to release the buildup gas trapped inside.
Do not keep your gas appliances unattended.
Do not close the source of any ventilation.
Carbon Monoxide also causes direct damage to the heart muscle, separate from the effects of oxygen deprivation, which reduces the heart’s pumping capacity and permanently impairs cardiac function.
Check indoor air quality on AQI app.
It is a gas made of three oxygen atom and is a pale blue with a strong smell.
Ultraviolet Radiation
Chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, and congestion, etc.
Install air purifier.
Keep indoor living plants.
Limit driving.
Conserve energy.
Exposure limit for ozone is 0.1 ppm (0.2 mg/m3)
Check indoor air quality on AQI app.
Air Quality Index (AQI) is a term to define the quality of the air you breathe.
Poor upkeep of ventilation, heating and air-conditioning systems, and. Dampness and moisture damage due to leaks, flooding or high humidity.
Particle matter, ground-level ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, etc.
Respiratory disease, decreased lung function, shortened life span, etc.
Use eco-friendly cars or travel by public transport.
Limit the time or intensity of your outdoor physical activity.
Do not use pollution-emitting vehicles.
Do not burn waste material.
0-50 is considered to be a good AQI as per 24-hour AQI.
Once small particles are in the lungs, they can affect the heart and blood vessels. It can cause serious problems, such as a heart attack for someone with heart conditions.
Pay Attention to the weather forecast.
Install the AQI (Air Quality Index) app to keep a check on the air quality.
Understanding the difference between good air quality and bad air quality is essential these days. Being aware whether the air you’re breathing is bad for your health will help you take necessary precautions and keep you safe from any health issues.
Breathing polluted air puts you at a higher risk for asthma and other respiratory diseases. Pollution can also potentially damage the immune system, endocrine, and reproductive systems.
Air pollution can be defined as the presence of toxic chemicals or compounds present in the air which lower the quality of the air or cause detrimental changes to the quality of life.
Air quality index (AQI) is a numerical scale used for reporting day to day air quality with regard to human health and the environment. An increase in air quality index signifies increased air pollution and severe threats to human health.
0-50 : Good
51-100 : Moderate
101-200 : Poor
201-300 : Unhealthy
301-400 : Severe
401-500+ : Hazardous
We believe good air quality is fundamental to our well being. On average, a person inhales about 14,000 litres of air every day, and the presence of contaminants in this air can adversely affect people’s health.
The contamination of the surrounding environment by the addition of foreign/unwanted substances is known as pollution and anything which makes the surrounding environment unhealthy/unfit for the living is known as the pollution.
Smoke from vehicles, chimneys, industries, burning of wood, plastic, coal, natural gas etc which causes the release of harmful toxic gases such as carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides etc in the environment. Ground level ozone and particulate matter are also the major reasons for air pollution. Even there are some natural causes as well which add more to pollution like forest fires, volcanic eruptions, and methane from the swamps are some of the natural occurrences which add more to the pollution.
Pollution causes adverse effects on the environment and in turn to the living beings which are a part of the environment only. Air Pollution is posing a serious threat to both flora and fauna. Incurable respiratory diseases among animals, aorist rainfall, acid rain, global warming, depletion of ozone layer, the rise in temperature, withering of plants, drought-like conditions, the grimy appearance of buildings etc. are only because of air pollution.
The most abundant and harmful pollutants present in the air are particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10), nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and sulphur dioxide.
Particulate matter such as PM10, PM2.5, PM1, and PM0.1 is defined as the fraction of particles with an aerodynamic diameter smaller than respectively 10, 2.5, 1 and 0.1 µm (for your information: 1 µm = 1 millionth of a meter or 1 thousandth of a millimeter.)
AQI India is the first ever pollution control platform in India consistently working on ways to educate people with solutions that can lessen the impact of the impending disaster.
The number in the AQI India map shows the real-time air quality index of the particular location.
Our monitoring device can detect invisible air particulate as small as PM 2.5 along with PM 10, temperature, humidity, and noise pollution. The sensors also retrieve complex data with the help of a camera that visualizes air pollutants of different forms like HCHO, No2, So2, O3, CO, and Co2.
AQI India monitor promises to provide real-time data of the air quality index that helps the user to gauge the quality of the air they are breathing along with precautionary measures.
We aim to cover every corner of the country by installing one monitor within the range of 2-3 km between each of them.
Mentioned below are some major pollutants are constantly contributing to the air pollution which is a real public health and environmental problem that can lead to among other things like global warming, acid rain, and the deterioration of the ozone layer.
| Pollutants | Sources | Effects |
| Ozone: Ozone is a molecule made up of three oxygen atoms which are naturally formed by the photolysis of normal oxygen by ultraviolet solar radiation at wavelengths below 242.5 nm in the stratosphere. | Ozone is not created directly, but is formed when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds mix in sunlight. | Ozone can lead to more frequent asthma attacks in people who have asthma and can cause sore throats, coughs, and breathing difficulty. |
| Carbon Monoxide: It is a gas that comes from the burning of fossil fuels, mostly in cars. | Carbon monoxide is released when engines burn fossil fuels. Emissions are higher when engines are not tuned properly, and when fuel is not completely burned. Cars emit a lot of the carbon monoxide found outdoors. | Carbon monoxide makes it hard for body parts to get the oxygen they need to run correctly. Exposure to carbon monoxide makes people feel dizzy and tired and gives them headaches. |
| Nitrogen Dioxide: It is a reddish-brown gas that comes from the burning of fossil fuels. | Nitrogen dioxide mostly comes from power plants and cars. | High levels of nitrogen dioxide exposure can give people coughs and can make them feel short of breath. |
| Sulfur Dioxide: It is a corrosive gas that cannot be seen or smelled at low levels but can have a “rotten egg†smell at high levels. | Sulfur dioxide mostly comes from the burning of coal or oil in power plants. It also comes from factories that make chemicals, paper, or fuel. | Sulfur dioxide exposure can affect people who have asthma or emphysema by making it more difficult for them to breathe. It can also irritate people's eyes, noses, and throats. |
| Greenhouse Gases: Gases that stay in the air for a long time and warm up the planet by trapping sunlight. This is called the “greenhouse effect†because the gases act like the glass in a greenhouse. | Carbon dioxide is the most important greenhouse gas. It comes from the burning of fossil fuels in cars, power plants, houses, and industry. Methane is released during the processing of fossil fuels, and also comes from natural sources like cows and rice paddies. | The greenhouse effect can lead to changes in the climate of the planet. Some of these changes might include more temperature extremes, higher sea levels, changes in forest composition, and damage to land near the coast. |
| Particulate Matter: Solid or liquid matter that is suspended in the air. | Particulate matter can be divided into two types-coarse particles and fine particles. Coarse particles are formed from sources like road dust, sea spray, and construction. Fine particles are formed when fuel is burned in automobiles and power plants. | Particulate matter that is small enough can enter the lungs and cause health problems. Some of these problems include more frequent asthma attacks, respiratory problems, and premature death. |
Particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5), refers to tiny particles or droplets in the air that are two and one-half microns or less in width. The difference between PM10 and PM2.5 is only the size. Both PM 2.5 and PM 10 both are serious health concern since smaller particles can travel more deeply into our lungs and cause more harmful effects.
The motor vehicle engine emits many types of pollutants including nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), particulates, sulphur dioxide (SO2) and lead. These ingredients create an urban smog which has the capacity to irritate pose the most serious threat to human health by penetrating deep into the lungs. Vehicular pollutants can cause lung irritation and weaken the body's defenses against respiratory infections such as pneumonia and influenza.
Even healthy people can experience health impacts from the polluted air including respiratory irritation or breathing difficulties during exercise or outdoor activities. High air pollution levels can cause immediate health problems including, aggravated cardiovascular and respiratory illness, added stress to heart and lungs, which must work harder to supply the body with oxygen and damaged cells in the respiratory system.