Air Quality

My brother sent me this question and as I was responding I thought it would make a good blog post, so here you go!

"Hows the air?  I heard a piece on NPR with an american reporter living in shanghai who said the air is so bad they have to check an app every day to decide if they should go out or not.  And sometimes they wear masks….."

Today it's not very good.  See for yourself:

http://www.stateair.net/web/post/1/4.html

Understanding the levels:

We go out every day and we don't wear masks, but on the days that it's above 200 (purple: very unhealthy) the kids have indoor recess and we limit our outdoor time.  I don't usually let them play hard outside if it's above 100 (orange: unhealthy for sensitive groups).  For comparison purposes, here's a US air quality map:

http://www.airnow.gov/

There was an app that I used to check, but the consulate changed their website/feed and the app no longer works, so now I just visit the first website (http://www.stateair.net/web/post/1/4.html) for my info.  There are other websites with air quality info, run by local entities.  Here's a picture of the AQI from last month that illustrates how difficult it is to know what's really going on. 

The funny thing about the air quality, is that you can't tell from just looking out the window.  On days it seems bad, it might be ok.  On bright sunny "clear" days it might be really bad.  One thing is pretty consistent, though.  If it rains, it's usually good (that's why we had some yellow and green yesterday) because the rain is coming off the ocean where the air is cleaner.  When the rain clears out and it get sunny, it's usually bad (like today) because the air from inland is dirtier.

And there, my friends, is your lesson in air quality!  Enjoy your fresh air today if you have it!