Air quality in Chennai is unhealthy, say various agencies

Unhealthy, is  aqicn.org ’s assessment of the air over Chennai this morning.  aqicn.org  uses the index of the American Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). An Air Quality Index (AQI) of 0-50 is considered Good; 51-100 is Moderate; 101-150 is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups; 151-200 is Unhealthy; 201-300 is very unhealthy; and an AQI greater than 300 is Hazardous.

The  aqicn.org  readings this morning were as follows for various parts of Chennai — Manali: 183; US Consulate: 170; Alandur: 173.

The air quality over Chennai is low, says an alert issued by WeatherBug. Suffering from respiratory difficulties? Please refrain from physical activity. Keep your prescription medication within reach, is WeatherBug's warning extended at 3.30 am to those in the Chennai City Corporation limits.

At 8.01 am, the alert said: Don’t take any chances — keep your prescription medication(s) nearby and limit your physical activity. The air quality was measured at 78, which denotes low quality.

People with lung diseases (such as asthma), children, older adults and outdoor workers should reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion.

Also read: Will Delhi's smog choke Chennai?

WeatherBug’s detailed prescriptions are as follows:

• Stay in closed air and air-conditioned places.
• Unless you really have to, minimise time spent outdoors
• People with health sensitivities should not take any chances — keep prescription medicine(s) nearby and limit physical activity.
• Children are advised to limit the amount of time spent outside.

• Avoid a workout in this environment, find a cleaner area

An assessment by The Weather.com, an IBM Business, is as follows:

• Moderate air pollution. Primary pollutant is fine particles with a particulate mass less than 2.5 microns expressed as PM2.5.
• May cause breathing discomfort for people with prolonged exposure and discomfort to people with heart disease.
• Sensitive groups should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion. It is OK to be active outside, but take more breaks and do less intense activities.
• Watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath.

Wind pattern

Winds were helpfully easterly to north-easterly at around 9 am, but very slow at 1.7 km/hr to make any material difference to overnight pollutants hanging in the air.

The wind direction is currently dictated by a well-marked low-pressure area out in the North Andaman Sea (South-East Bay of Bengal), too far away still to decidedly influence the pattern over land (along the coast).

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