Being aware of the place you live and reside every day is important. We all check about the nearest needs but never check the air quality, which is as essential as others. Living in a breathable environment can lessen the possibility of severe diseases and health issues like stroke, lung cancer, asthma, etc. Now you would be thinking about how to check air quality, right? No worries; our advanced technology is here with AQI (Air Quality Index) to help us.
Why are AQI apps needed?
According to WHO, about 99% of the world’s population lives in places where air quality exceeds recommended guidelines. Air quality is one of the significant reasons behind premature deaths. Hence, knowing your environment’s air quality is as important as knowing your health. To understand the Air quality of a place, the developers have come up with Air Quality Index (AQI) apps. These apps can help people understand a particular place’s air quality and decide accordingly. The environment we live in is full of different kinds of pollutants. Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, which can easily lead the human body to confusion, dizziness, and even death; it sounds dangerous, right? Also, many more harmful gases, like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, are produced by industries and vehicles. These gases can damage the respiratory system and quickly send you to the emergency room. Staying updated about our nature is a significant way to improve our nature too. The faster we know our problem, the better solution we find. AQI apps are needed to spread awareness, importance, and information about air quality.
What are the uses of Air Quality apps?
The Air Quality app was launched officially in 2013, and none of us would have thought we could get the details about the air at our fingertips. Air Quality Index apps are beneficial for people to know whether the place they reside is suitable for their health or not. These apps also let a person know the air quality of other cities. Hence, you can check the quality of the environment before you visit or think of settling there. Air Quality Index apps show you real-time air quality, pollution statistics, and detailed weather and climate forecasts. This is essential information that most people neglect and put their and their family’s health at risk. Besides this, the air quality index also helps to identify the central issue and take mandatory and regulatory actions to resolve them and make the air breathable around us. The information provided by these apps minimizes health risks, gives you relevant suggestions and ideas for better breathing, and keeps you updated with current air conditions.
How do the Air Quality apps work?
Air quality apps measure the air in our environment and inform us about how clean or polluted it is. Air quality is measured with the Air Quality Index, abbreviated as AQI. AQI works like a thermometer which starts from 0 to 500 degrees. AQI shows the amount of pollution in the air on the scale of degrees. Air quality below 51 is considered healthy and clean air. As the number increases, the health risk increases too. According to experts, air quality from 151 to 300 is considered unhealthy, and above this is considered hazardous for health. This range is categorized based on the most common pollutants like PM2.5, PM10, CO, O3, carbon monoxide, etc., as these pollutants hamper human health the most. However, different apps have different and creative ways of presenting the data. But what remains the same is the data they collect from. The air quality app collects data from government agencies and other resources. So, if you are searching for the best and most convenient app, here we are with a few air-quality apps with a brief intro so you can choose the best one for you.
Benefits of using Air Quality Apps
As mentioned before, air quality apps track and tell us about the pollutants in the air like SO2, CO, O3, etc. This helps to analyze the air quality in our surroundings, specifically in just a few clicks. There are undoubtedly many benefits of using these apps, especially for those people who are more into outdoor activities and sporting life, like cyclists, swimmers, runners, etc. The most important benefits of using air quality apps are that they help a person to avoid the most polluted area and find an alternative place for healthy outdoor activities. Besides this, the app also helps you know about your exposure to polluted air, teaches you about air pollution in your surroundings, and keeps you updated about the pollution crisis.
Are Air Quality Apps Accurate?
When we get suggestions about air quality apps, the question of their accuracy is expected and logical. Most apps claim that they are accurate, and practically it is possible as these apps collect data from government websites and many other local agencies. Furthermore, many apps have their air quality monitoring equipment. Hence, they analyze their and other collected data to give accurate and helpful output to the users. Now, if you are searching for the best air quality app, we can help you. Here are some of the best air quality apps you can choose from for an easy and convenient search.
IQAir AirVisual
IQAir Airvisual app is one of the most trusted air quality checking apps. Airvisual tracks pollution in 80 countries and more than 10,000 cities with data from thousands of trusted sensors. Airvisual uses unique color codes and pictorial representations to describe the air condition, making it attractive for people and easy to understand. The company has ad-free mobile apps for both Android and iOS devices. The key features of this app include detailed, real-time forecasts and air pollution data. This app is beneficial if you work or go outdoors as it provides users with 7-day air pollution and weather forecasts. Furthermore, this app also has an added feature that gives health advice and suggestions according to the air quality to minimize users’ health risks due to pollution in the air.
Plume labs
Plume Labs act as your air quality device in your phone. They have their unique algorithm to predict air pollution and are connected with 12,000+ environment monitoring stations around 60 different countries. This makes the data more reliable as they are sourced from local and government agencies. The app also looks over data on factors like time, weather conditions, human activities, etc., to compare their data and predictions to make more accurate forecasts later in the day. Plume Labs are now officially acquired by the well-known weather forecast company AccuWeather. Plume Labs already have Android and iOS apps. Now they are soon looking forward to launching their new air quality device.
AIRNow
AIRNow, an official partner of the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, NASA, NOAA, and other air quality agencies, reports air quality to the user using the official U.S Air Quality Index. This app uses an attractive color code system to inform you about your environment’s air quality. AIRNow has a vast network of agencies all over the country. These agencies monitor data for AIRNow. This app has well-focused and quality control over its data. These data are distributed to many sectors like the public, researchers, businesses, etc. This app includes current and forecast air quality and essential data from more than 500 cities in the U.S. Besides this, the app has fantastic features which tell about fire locations, fire conditions, smoke plumes, etc. They also provide essential suggestions about health care. You can find it for your Android and iOS devices. Once you install the app, you must enter your city or area code to get your current air quality. The app also offers detailed forecast discussions. Another unique feature the app has is area storage. You can save multiple places in the app so that you can check the air quality of your daily or important visiting places air quality within a few clicks.
Shoot! I Smoke
Shoot! I Smoke is an air quality app. Do you know what makes it different? This app has a creative and humorous way of showing pollution measurement. Most sites and apps use AQI, color code, and graphs, but this app shows pollution measurement by making it equivalent to the number of cigarettes you have inhaled. The app uses Berkeley Earth analysis to compare deaths to the number of cigarettes a person smokes. The app is kind, accurate, and fun to use, and it also has a real-time map to check which place you would like the least. In other words, you can find out which place has breathable air and which one needs to be avoided. This app has a user-friendly interface showing how many cigarettes you have inhaled daily. This app is most convenient for people who like to stay updated about the air briefly and funnily. You can download it for your Android devices.
Air Matters
Air Matters originated an app available in many countries to help people monitor air quality hourly, weekly, and daily. This app also gives pollution alerts and keeps the users updated with much other information, like temperature, moisture level, wind speed, etc. The app gives real-time updates from more than 11,000 air monitoring agencies worldwide. This app is available in 50 countries and about 3,000 cities. This app is one of the most trusted and is available on both Android and iOS. What makes this app unique is this app can also capture indoor air quality by connecting to air purifiers (only if you have an intelligent air purifier). The app also offers advice to manage air quality and save self from health risks. The app uses color-indicating methods to make them easy and convenient to understand.
BreezoMeter
BreezoMeter is an app that was started with a mission to improve people’s health and air quality. This app provides significant, real-time, and location-based air quality and pollution data easily and understandably. BreezoMeter has a live air quality monitor, which provides accurate data after continuous testing procedures and understanding external reviews. This app is available on Android, iOS, and also on websites. The accuracy of this app is highly validated about the air we breathe as they get regular updates from 7000+ air quality stations, and it also suggests personalized health recommendations to its users. The app has a section named “My Exposure.” This section shows the accurate level of the air quality index of your current location or place you spend most of your day.
AirCare
AirCare is an app available in iOS and Android, and you can also connect this app to your apple watch. This app updates the user about the UV index, fire alerts, pollution data, and no doubt about air quality. This app has a few extra features to share updates and data with your friend online. In this feature, the app allows you to click photos with the camera and adds an air quality index at the bottom. The app also includes kid-friendly information, charts, maps, etc. You can share the data on many platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, etc. They have education and community sections. They have heat maps, graphs, and visual content, which makes them attractive and appealing. Hence, you can say that it is an all-in-one app.
AirLief
Doctors and asthma patients for good breathing developed AirLief. It brings people on-time data on air pollution and location with personalized, helpful health tips and suggestions. AirLief app also has a map that can help users to find the best breathable area in the city. You can download it for both Android and iOS devices. You can get personalized health tips by giving the app five data factors. They have created up to 74 easy everyday tips to follow so that you can live a healthy life. The five factors data include information like age, any respiratory problems, do you smoke or not, exercise time, and transportation you use. Besides this, they have a feature that can allow you to chat with experts and be part of the AirLief team. This app is considered more beneficial than other apps in the list due to its makers and health tips.
Author’s Note
All of the apps mentioned above are helpful and accurate. But AirNow stands out from others as it allows users to save multiple locations, which helps them check the air quality of different locations in just a few clicks. Other than that, I feel that it’s the right decision to install air quality apps on your device to stay updated with places that can harm you.
Conclusion
Regardless of profession or age, understanding and knowing the air quality in your surroundings is essential as it affects your and your family’s health. Most experts believe that more exposure to air pollution can impact brain cells, memory, and the nervous system. But it’s good to know that people are now becoming more cautious about the issue and trying to understand their health and surroundings. The internet has made our life easy now. We can carry a personal air quality checker with us on your phone. From teenagers to adults, AQI apps have become best friends for them to plan outdoor activities as they inform about AQI, temperature, and weather forecasts. You may also explore some best hygrometers to measure indoor humidity accurately.
