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Best tools to check the air quality where you live
Live in Quebec, the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic? I’m thinking of you right now! Smoke from more than 150 Canadian wildfires is causing a big plunge in air quality across the U.S.
It’s not just gross to breathe in — poor air quality can cause several health problems like asthma, allergies and heart disease. Anyone with health issues should limit their time outside.
Tiny particulates from wildfire smoke can enter the lungs and bloodstream. You need to watch what you’re breathing in right now. That’s why I wanted to tell you about these free tools.
Free tools to check air quality
Purple Air gets you real-time air quality data from sensors located all around the globe. You can even set up alerts for specific locations, like your city or town. Try the free Purple Air map here.
AIRNow is run by the U.S. government and gives real-time air quality information for over 500 cities in the U.S. Download for Android here. Download for iPhone here.
Don’t want to download something new?
You can monitor air quality on Google Maps. Just open Google Maps and search for your location. Press the layers button in the top right under the search bar to bring up the layers menu and select Air Quality. So handy.
Where are things the worst?
At one point on Tuesday night, New York City had the worst air quality of any major metro area — ahead of New Delhi, India, Doha, Qatar and Baghdad, Iraq.
Most of New York state and all of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont are under an air quality alert. Detroit, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Boston, Hartford, Providence and Montpelier, Vermont, are being hit hard, too.
Kids, older adults, and people who are pregnant or have cardiovascular or respiratory diseases must be cautious. Rule of thumb: If you can see or smell smoke, you’re exposed.
Spread the intel. Be sure to share this vital health information with anyone you know who lives in an affected area.
Tags: air quality, allergies, Apple iPhone, Google, Google Maps, health problems, New York City, U.S. government
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