Day by day the fresh air of the environment is getting polluted because of the mixing of particulates,

biological molecules, and other harmful materials. Air pollution comes from many sources – from
cookstoves and kerosene lamps to coal-fired power plants and so on. Such polluted air is responsible for
about one third of deaths from stroke, chronic respiratory disease, and lung cancer, as well as one
quarter of deaths from heart attack. Air pollution is also fundamentally altering our climate, with
profound impacts on the health of the planet.

And thus it is one of the most important environmental issues which requires to be noticed and
solved by the efforts of all of us.

To do so study of air Quality is done using Air Quality index table.

An air quality index (AQI) is used by government agencies[1] to communicate to the public how polluted
the air currently is or how polluted it is forecast to become. [2][3] As the AQI increases, an increasingly
large percentage of the population is likely to experience increasingly severe adverse health effects.
Different countries have their own air quality indices, corresponding to different national air quality
standards. Some of these are the Air Quality Health Index (Canada), the Air Pollution Index (Malaysia),
and the Pollutant Standards Index (Singapore).

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Significantly, AQI values reflect air quality management objectives, which are based on the lowest
achievable emissions rate, and not exclusively concern for human health. ... The Air Quality Health Index
provides a number from 1 to 10+ to indicate the level of health risk associated with local air quality

Ways to estimate air pollutant levels

Scientists have different strategies for calculating air pollution measures. These strategies
include:

 Reporting of direct measurements from monitoring stations

 Reporting of sources, such as the locations of industrial facilities or traffic levels on
roadways
 Models that may consider either or both of the above types of data along with
considerations of weather, topography, and dissipation patterns

None of these directly correspond to population exposure (i.e. the amounts of pollutants that are
taken in by people day-to-day), although all can provide useful information.  In places where no
monitoring data exist, pollutant levels need to be estimated using statistical modeling methods. 
These methods commonly use known values at nearby locations to estimate pollution levels for
locations without data.   
 
Another way of measuring air pollution is to look at the amount which is emitted into the air
from:

 Mobile sources (e.g. cars, trucks)

 Stationary sources (e.g. industrial facilities)
 Area sources (e.g. fireplaces, road dust)
 Natural sources (e.g. wildfires, windblown dust)

Estimates for these categories can be found in the California Air Resources Board
(ARB) California Emission Inventory.  Data from stationary sources are reported by facility
owners to its local air district.  Emissions from the other sources are estimated by statistical
modeling. 

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Advantages and limitations of using air monitoring data

Air quality data are essential for:

 Assessing public health impacts caused by poor air quality

 Determining whether an area is meeting the standards
 Evaluating changes in air quality as a result of state implementation plans 

The challenge is to get measurements of air quality in time and space that are useful for public
health activities.  The advantages of using ambient data collected through the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), state, and local monitoring networks include:

 These measurements of pollution concentrations are the best characterization of the

concentration of a given pollutant at a given time and location
 The data are supported by a comprehensive quality assurance program, ensuring good
data of known quality

However, to compare ambient concentrations with acute health effects, daily local air quality
data is needed.  Geographic or spatial gaps exist in the air quality monitoring network, especially
in rural areas, since:

 The air quality monitoring network is designed to focus on measurement of pollutant

concentrations in high population density areas
 There are a limited number of monitors that can be sited and maintained
 The priority is for monitors to be located in areas to determine whether an air basin is in
compliance with State and Federal regulations
o So, the resulting measurements are not always a good indication of the burden of
air pollution in a specific area
 o For example, air monitors are not located near sources of high air pollution, since
the goal is to obtain a picture of the ambient background levels

Temporal limits also exist. 

 PM2.5 monitors generally collect samples only once every three days, due in part to the
time and costs involved in collecting and analyzing the samples
o However, monitors that can automatically collect analyze, and report
PM2.5 measurements on an hourly basis have been introduced over the past several
years
o These monitors are available in most of the major metropolitan areas
 Ozone is monitored daily, but mostly during the ozone season (the warmer months,
approximately April through October)
o However, year-long data would be extremely useful for evaluating whether ozone
is a factor in health outcomes during the non-ozone seasons

The challenge of using ambient monitoring data is that the limited number of air monitors create
gaps in space and time.

 The gaps in temporal and spatial coverage limit the complete assessment of air pollution
exposure that is needed to assess health outcomes
 This spatial and temporal ‘misalignment’ between air quality monitoring data and health
outcomes is influenced by the following key factors:
o The air quality monitor may not be in the same location as where a person lives,
works, or plays
o The air quality monitor may not have sampled the air at the time a person
experienced a health outcome (e.g. an asthma attack)

Why Air Quality is important. ... It provides air quality standards and objectives for key air pollutants,
which are designed to protect human health and the environment. Air pollution can cause both short
term and long term effects on health and many people are concerned about pollution in the air that
they breathe.

Methodology.

India

The National Air Quality Index (AQI) was launched in New Delhi on September 17, 2014 under
the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.[19]

The Central Pollution Control Board along with State Pollution Control Boards has been
operating National Air Monitoring Program (NAMP) covering 240 cities of the country having
more than 342 monitoring stations.[20]
The proposed AQI considers eight pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3, and Pb) for
which short-term (up to 24-hourly averaging period) National Ambient Air Quality Standards are
prescribed.[24]

Based on the measured ambient concentrations, corresponding standards and likely health
impact, a sub-index is calculated for each of these pollutants. The worst sub-index reflects
overall AQI. Likely health impacts for different AQI categories and pollutants have also been
suggested, with primary inputs from the medical experts in the group.

The AQI values and corresponding ambient concentrations (health breakpoints) as well as
associated likely health impacts for the identified eight pollutants are as follows:

AQI Category, Pollutants and Health Breakpoints

AQI Category PM10 PM2.5 NO2

O3 CO SO2 NH3 Pb
(Range) (24hr) (24hr) (24hr)
(8hr) (8hr) (24hr) (24hr) (24hr)
Good (0–50) 0–50 0–30 0–40
0–50 0–1.0 0–40 0–200 0–0.5
51–
Satisfactory (51–100) 51–100 31–60 41–80 1.1–2.0 41–80 201–400 0.5–1.0
100
Moderately polluted 101–
101–250 61–90 81–180 2.1–10 81–380 401–800 1.1–2.0
(101–200) 168
169– 801–
Poor (201–300) 251–350 91–120 181–280 10–17 381–800 2.1–3.0
208 1200
209– 801– 1200–
Very poor (301–400) 351–430 121–250 281–400 17–34 3.1–3.5
748 1600 1800
Severe (401–500) 430+ 250+ 400+ 748+ 34+ 1600+ 1800+ 3.5+