The air quality index in Indianapolis is still very high as US World Trials continue through day 3 today. Currently, the air quality index is labeled around 170 which is labeled as “unhealthy”.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created an Air Quality Index (AQI) to report air quality in the area. The higher the value, the greater the air pollution and potential for breathing problems.
The scale for AQI is 0-50 “good”, 51-100 “moderate”, 101-150 “unhealthy for sensitive groups”, 151-200 “unhealthy”, 201-300 “very unhealthy”, and 300+ “hazardous”. As Indianapolis is around 170, it is labeled “unhealthy.” If it dips below 150, it will change to “unhealthy for sensitive groups” which means that sensitive groups might have a problem but the general population may not.
Much of the midwest and the upper east of the country is at least under the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” air quality. Indianapolis sits around an AQI of 170. Other cities that are also high are Pittsburgh (around 200), Chicago (around 175), Cincinnati (around 170), and Detroit (around 155).
The weather report for Indianapolis is currently labeled as “smoke” (as of 10 am Thursday morning).
The poor air quality is primarily due to the Canadian fires. CBS News reported that as of Wednesday night, there were 483 active fires in Canada.
Some potential blockers from the poor air outside are masks, specifically KN-95 masks. KN-95 masks help block 95% of particles that are 0.3 microns or larger. Many of the particles from the fire that are in the air measure in at 2.5 microns or smaller.
This will wreak havoc on open water swimming and open pools.
These forest fires can kick rocks.
I believe it is getting better, as it was considerably worse on Tuesday than Wednesday. The drive out of Indy after finals was very eerie in the twilight hours with all of the (what I would call) fog in the air mixing with headlights, streetlights, and sun/moonlight. Stay safe on the roads everybody!
In the old days, they called it “smog” (aka pollution). L.A. was notorious for it, not because of wildfires but car exhaust.