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By Joe Edwards
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Residents across parts of Arizona faced unhealthy levels of air pollution early on Tuesday, a live map from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) showed.
Why It Matters
Experts caution that poor air quality poses increased health risks for vulnerable groups, including the elderly, children and those with respiratory conditions.
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What To Know
EPA mapping showed high levels of air pollution in the "hazardous" category encompassing an area east of Phoenix, centered around Globe, the seat of Gila County, and the San Carlos Reservation.
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Another pocket of "hazardous" air quality was located southwest of here, just northwest of Tucson.
"Avoid all physical activity outdoors," the EPA advises at this level.
According to the EPA's map, Picture Rocks and Marana were among the locals this zone encompassed.
Additionally, parts of Chandler and Gilbert faced air quality in the "unhealthy" category.
Meanwhile, Phoenix and Scottsdale faced air quality that was "unhealthy for sensitive groups," which includes children. At this level, the EPA advises sensitive groups to make outdoor activities shorter and less intense.
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The Air Quality Index (AQI), developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), measures air pollution on a scale from 0 to 500:
- 0—50 (Green): Good — Air quality is satisfactory.
- 51—100 (Yellow): Moderate—Acceptable, with potential concerns for sensitive individuals.
- 101—150 (Orange): Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups—Affects people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children, and pregnant individuals.
- 151—200 (Red): Unhealthy—Everyone may begin to experience health effects. Sensitive groups can experience more serious health effects.
- 201—300 (Purple): Very Unhealthy—The risk of health effects is increased for everyone
- 301—500 (Maroon): Hazardous—Health warning of emergency conditions, everyone is more likely to be affected.
What People Are Saying
Professor of pediatric respiratory and environmental medicine Jonathan Grigg, with Queen Mary, University of London told Newsweek: "There are vulnerable groups and classically, they are children because they've got an extra issue to do with their lungs developing, whereas our lungs are not developing as adults.
"Their trajectory can be deviated so they don't actually achieve their maximum lung function."
There are also "very clear links" between inhaling particles and earlier death from both respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, Grigg said.
Additionally, Grigg said conditions such as asthma are also exacerbated by exposure to air pollution.
What Happens Next
Air quality maps are updated regularly.
"You can find daily ozone forecasts and real-time ozone conditions for over 300 cities across the country at the AIRNow Web site: airnow.gov," the EPA says.
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