What Is PM2.5?

PM2.5 (particulate matter) is the class of inhalable airborne particles with diameters of 2.5 micrometers or less. Sourcing mainly from combustion, the gaseous and metallic particles contained within it pose severe risks to human health.

Learn more about its sources, effects, and efforts to reduce emissions here.

Air Quality Forecast

Interested in the projected quality of your air in the next days to come? Check out this page to see the cleanliness of the air you'll be breathing.

See the air quality forecast for the next three days.

AQI (Air Quality Index)

The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a measurement system used to tell you the cleanliness of your neighborhood air. Learn more about it here:

Go To AirNow's overview on AQI.

Fire Information for Resource Management System US / Canada

The historical data from June, July, and August of 2023, show an increased concentration of smoke in New England and Quebec, derived from the Canadian wildfires.

See NASA's satellite imagery showing the wildfire smoke in the Northeast in the summer of 2023.

TEMPO: A New Era of Air Quality Monitoring from Space

NASA's first Earth Venture Instrument mission will measure pollution of North America at high spatial resolution. TEMPO observations are from the geostationary vantage point, flying on a telecommunications host spacecraft with the goal to launch in 2023..

Go To Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMP) site.

Health Impacts of PM2.5 Inhalation

What you need to know to about the negative effects of fine particulate matter on the respiratory and cardiovascular tracts.

Go To EPA's page on PM2.5 effects and its overview.

Sensitive Groups

AQI levels and populations that are more sensitive to higher index values.

Go To NOAA's page on groups that are sensitive to poor air quality.

Global Warming and Wildfire

3 reasons wildfires are getting more dangerous—and 3 ways to make things better.

See wilderness.org article on global warming on wildfire.

Limiting Exposure to Air Pollutants from Wildfires

Evacuate, Mask, and Extinguish. Learn more here about how to keep safe from wildfire smoke.

See AirNow's recommendations on how to protect yourself from wildfire smoke.

The Canadian Wildfires and their Effects on the East Coast

The facts? The effects? We've got you covered.

Go to the EPA report on smoke in the east coast from the Canadian wildfires.

Google GraphCast

GraphCast: AI model for faster and more accurate global weather forecasting:

Go To The Weather Channel and see the weather forecast for eastern PA.

Real-time Wildfire Information

The Fire, Weather, and Avalanche Center offers up-to-date information on the locations, status, and distance covered, by the wildfires in different states. For comprehensive data, you can check out their website here:

Go to Fire, Weather, and Avalanche Center's page on information about the wildfires occurring throughout the nation.

Hazardous Air Pollutants

Aside from metals, PM2.5 can also contain toxic gases as its components, most of which are products of fuel combustion. Vinyl chloride, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide make up a fraction of this long list.

Go to EPA menu on toxic gases (overview and table of pollutants included).

CMAQ Air Quality Modeling

CMAQ (see-mak): an active open-source development project of the U.S. EPA that consists of a suite of programs for conducting air quality model simulations. CMAQ combines current knowledge in atmospheric science and air quality modeling, multi-processor computing techniques, and an open-source framework to deliver fast, technically sound estimates of ozone, particulates, toxics and acid deposition.

Go to EPA CMAQ: The Community Multiscale Air Quality Modeling System

Information on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)

Help for people of all conditions to make sure that they are breathing the cleanest air they can receive. Air filters, cleaners, and devices of other sorts are only some of the numerous means.

Go To EPA's table of pages on IAQ and IAQ management.