The U.S. Embassy recently installed an air quality monitor to measure particulates as an indication of the air quality on the Embassy compound located in the Zarafshon district. Pollutants such as particle pollution are linked to a number of significant health effects — and those effects are likely to be more severe for sensitive populations, including people with heart or lung disease, children, and older adults. Real-time publication of air quality data will be available for use by scientists and researchers, the government, and the Tajik public at airnow.gov.
The monitor measures the amount of particulates less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM 2.5), which are referred to as “fine” particulates and are believed to pose the largest health risks since they can enter the blood stream through the lungs. PM 2.5 is a standard recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and allows us to compare against U.S. standard measures. For more information, please visit the EPA site: https://bit.ly/1U9qR5q
The U.S. EPA has developed a formula to convert PM 2.5 readings into an air quality index (AQI) value that can help inform health-related decisions. For example, an AQI value of 50 represents good air quality with little potential to affect public health, while an AQI value over 300 represents hazardous air quality. For more information on AQI and how it is calculated, please click here: https://bit.ly/1U9qR5q
- Factsheet on Air Quality Control (MS PowerPoint 1 MB)
| Air Quality Index Levels of Health Concern | Numerical Value | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Good | 0 to 50 | Air quality is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk |
| Moderate | 51 to 100 | Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution. |
| Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 101 to 150 | Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is not likely to be affected. |
| Unhealthy | 151 to 200 | Everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects. |
| Very Unhealthy | 201 to 300 | Health warnings of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected. |
| Hazardous | 301 to 500 | Health alert: everyone may experience more serious health effects. |
