The Air Quality Index is a way of describing our outdoor air quality. Alberta Environment calculates the Air Quality Index by converting the concentrations of carbon monoxide, fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, ground-level ozone and sulphur dioxide to an Air Quality Index number. Four out of these five parameters are required to generate an Air Quality Index value as follows:
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a rating of 0 to 25 indicates good air quality. This is the best possible rating and means there are no known harmful effects to human or environmental health. |
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a rating of 26-50 is fair air quality, which means there is adequate protection against harmful effects. |
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a rating of 51-100 indicates poor air quality and not all aspects of the environment are adequately protected from possible adverse effects. |
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a rating of more than 100 is very poor air quality, which means continued high readings could pose a risk to human health. |
Two stations in the Fort Air Partnership Airshed Zone currently have the required number of parameters to calculate an Air Quality Index: Fort Saskatchewan Station and Lamont Station.
Call 427-7273 for the latest hourly Air Quality Index report. Or you can go on-line to: http://www.telusgeomatics.com/tgpub/ag_air/default.asp
Historical Air Quality Index information for various locations can also be obtained through the CASA Datwarehouse:
http://www.casadata.org/ (Click on Data reports, then select “Air Quality Index”)