A mobile website to help people access air pollution data from throughout California on an hour-by-hour basis has been launched by the California Air Resources Board (ARB).
www.arb.ca.gov
The website, called Breathe Well, can be accessed by any computer or mobile device with an Internet browser.
"This new mobile website brings together the convenience of smartphone technology with the State’s sophisticated air quality monitoring network," said ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols this week in a press release. "It uses the best technology available to make real-time air quality information easily available in more than 150 locations throughout California to protect public health, especially those individuals who are the most vulnerable to air pollution."
The home screen shows the concentrations of fine particle pollution (particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers, or PM2.5) and ozone in the device’s current locations with a color-coded scale from good to very unhealthy.
The website allows the user to set this as their location, look up the air quality in other cities and view on a map where the nearest particle pollution and ozone detectors are.
High levels of ozone and small particles can cause or worsen asthma and cardiovascular diseases. At levels that guidelines suggest would be very unhealthy if exposed over an extended time — according to the website, eight hours for ozone and 24 hours for particles — people with these conditions should stay indoors and even healthy people should avoid outdoor activity.
