In recent years, North America and Europe have seen improved air quality due to stricter environmental regulations, but extreme weather and record wildfires have reignited concerns about air pollution.
Recently, smoke from Quebec and Ontario wildfires has spread into the Northeast U.S., leading to an orange haze over New York City and unhealthy air quality levels.
This has driven increased use of mobile apps to monitor air quality, with the AirNow app ranking as the sixth most downloaded free app on the App Store, surpassing TikTok and Instagram.
Indoor air quality remains critical; apps help track trends and measure improvements.These apps gather data from government satellites, weather stations, and private sensors, with some using crowdsourced information from affordable sensors like those from PurpleAir and IQAir.
Notable apps include AirNow, which provides air quality information by ZIP code and nationwide Fire and Smoke Maps; AirCare, which offers air quality charts and maps from both government and volunteer sensors; and AirVisual, which tracks pollution levels in over 10,000 cities and provides forecasts and health information.
While outdoor air quality is crucial, indoor air quality is also important since people spend a significant amount of time indoors.
Richard Corsi from the University of California, Davis, points out that while current apps and sensors may not provide exact measurements, they are useful for monitoring trends and assessing the effectiveness of indoor air quality measures.
Simple actions, such as using HEPA filters and wet-mopping floors, can enhance indoor air quality, especially during wildfire season.