Air Quality Health Index
The Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) is a measure of overall air quality given as a value from 1-10 and above. Each value has health risks associated with it which are separated by general public and at-risk groups. The purpose of the AQHI system is to allow the general public, especially those in at-risk groups, to plan their activities while keeping the air quality in mind. Alberta is divided up into nine Air Sheds each containing multiple air quality monitoring stations that report their AQHI hourly. AQHI is determined by using the hourly averages of the pollutants carbon monoxide (CO(g)), nitrogen dioxide (NO2(g)), ozone (O3(g)), particulate matter smaller than 2.5 μm (PM2.5 for short), and sulfur dioxide (SO2(g)). Below is the scale of the AQHI as well as the health effect for each range. For more information on the AQHI go to alberta.ca: About the Air Quality Health Index.
