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The U.S. AQI turns air-pollution measurements into color-coded categories and health advice. During wildfire smoke, use the category—not a single number as a universal safe-or-unsafe cutoff—to decide how to adjust outdoor activity. People with higher health risks should reduce exposure sooner; as conditions worsen, everyone should limit outdoor exertion and seek filtered indoor air. Check the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map and local alerts repeatedly, because smoke levels can change during the day.
What the wildfire smoke AQI measures
AQI stands for Air Quality Index. It converts pollution measurements into a scale with color-coded categories and corresponding health guidance. The U.S. AQI system covers five major pollutants regulated under the Clean Air Act; it is not an index exclusively for wildfire smoke. During a smoke event, the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map reports particle pollution, the key pollutant in wildfire smoke, and provides recommendations for the conditions shown.
The number is useful as a guide to the level of health concern, not a guarantee that the air is harmless below a particular point or equally risky for every person. A person with asthma, for example, may need to change plans sooner than someone without a related health condition. Follow the advice for the category shown, consider your own risk, and check local public-health alerts.
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| Category | AQI range | How to use it during smoke |
|---|---|---|
| Good | 0–50 | Air quality is in the lowest AQI concern category. Keep checking conditions if smoke is nearby or expected to shift. |
| Moderate | 51–100 | Use the map’s guidance and your circumstances; people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution may notice effects. |
| Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 101–150 | People in sensitive groups should reduce exposure and modify activity. |
| Unhealthy | 151–200 | Everyone should limit prolonged or heavy exertion and limit time outdoors. |
| Very Unhealthy | 201–300 | Everyone should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion and stay indoors, preferably in filtered air. |
| Hazardous | 301 and above | Everyone should avoid outdoor activity and stay indoors, preferably in filtered air. |
The ranges and category advice are from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow Fire and Smoke Map Version 4 help page. The category—not just the numerical difference between readings—tells you how to respond. At the boundaries, use the category displayed by the map and follow any more protective local instructions.
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When should you stay indoors?
There is no single AQI value that works as a universal indoor-or-outdoor switch. Use the category-specific advice above, local alerts, and your health needs. The guidance becomes more protective as the category rises: sensitive groups should reduce exposure first, and the recommendations extend to everyone as air quality worsens. If you are unsure whether an activity counts as prolonged or strenuous, treat duration and effort as reasons to be more cautious rather than waiting for a particular number.
What an AQI of 150 means
An AQI reading of 150 is at the upper end of Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. It is not a declaration that outdoor air is safe for everybody else. People in sensitive groups should reduce exposure and modify activity in that category; if the reading rises into Unhealthy, the advice applies to everyone: limit prolonged or heavy exertion and limit time outdoors. If a local alert gives stricter instructions, follow it.
Use the reading for the time and place you need
Smoke can vary over the course of a day, so a reading checked in the morning may not describe conditions later. Check the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map before outdoor activity and again when conditions are changing. The map’s Version 4 documentation describes current air-quality information, category-specific recommendations, daily history, and an indicator showing whether conditions are stable, improving, or worsening. Use the trend as context, not as a substitute for the current category or local emergency guidance.
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The AQI’s NowCast can use shorter averaging periods when conditions are changing rapidly, such as during a wildfire. That helps the index reflect rapid changes more responsively than a longer average alone. It does not make a reading a promise about what the air will be later; recheck it when you make a new decision.
How to check wildfire smoke near you
- Open the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map. Look for the map’s current air-quality information for your area.
- Read the AQI category and its recommendation. Use the displayed category and the corresponding health advice rather than interpreting the number in isolation.
- Check the trend and daily history. The map documentation describes history and a stable, improving, or worsening indicator; these can help you understand whether conditions are changing.
- Recheck before plans and as the day progresses. If you will be outside for work, exercise, travel, or another activity, confirm conditions close to the time you need them.
- Check local alerts as well. Public-health and emergency officials may give location-specific instructions, including where to find cleaner air or how to respond to dangerous heat.
The map is a practical way to follow particle pollution during a smoke event, but no single reading answers every personal health question. If you have a condition that affects your response to smoke, use your clinician’s advice and action plan along with current public guidance.
How to reduce smoke exposure outdoors
When conditions call for less outdoor exposure, first see whether you can change the timing or location of an activity. Reschedule strenuous exercise and outdoor tasks for a cleaner period if possible. Limit the time spent outside when the air is unhealthy, and avoid prolonged or heavy exertion when the category guidance says to do so. Recheck conditions rather than assuming a brief improvement will last.
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If outdoor work or travel cannot be avoided
- Reduce the amount of time outdoors and take frequent breaks in cleaner indoor air where possible.
- Use an N95 respirator for unavoidable exposure. AirNow says N95 respirators can provide protection against wildfire smoke; fit and appropriate use matter.
- Do not rely on a cloth mask for smoke protection. AirNow says cloth masks will not protect against wildfire smoke.
- Follow local health and emergency instructions, particularly if conditions worsen or you begin feeling unwell.
How to make indoor air cleaner
Staying inside is more useful when the indoor space has fewer particle sources and filtered air. Choose a room where you can spend time with windows and doors closed during smoky conditions, and avoid adding pollution indoors. If the home becomes too hot, do not treat sealed windows as more important than heat safety: seek a cooler clean-air location, such as a clean-air shelter or another air-conditioned building with good filtration, or go to friends or family. Follow local emergency instructions.
Using a portable air cleaner
A portable air cleaner is intended for a room or area, so choose a unit sized for the room where you plan to use it. AirNow recommends avoiding ozone-generating models and running the cleaner continuously at its highest fan speed when practical. A high setting may be less comfortable because of noise; prioritize the strongest setting you can reasonably tolerate for the time you are in the room. Check that replacement filters are available and consider their replacement cost and noise when choosing equipment. These are selection criteria, not a comparison or test of specific products.
Using central heating or air conditioning
If your home has central HVAC, AirNow advises using it to filter indoor air. A MERV-13-or-higher filter may be appropriate, but only if the equipment can accommodate it. Check the filter’s physical dimensions, the system’s compatibility, and the manufacturer’s guidance; do not assume that a higher-rated filter is suitable for every system. Use suitable recirculation and fan settings, and close the fresh-air intake during smoke when the system allows. The correct setting depends on your equipment, so follow its instructions.
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Limit indoor particle sources
During smoky periods, avoid activities that add indoor pollution. AirNow specifically advises against frying, sweeping, vacuuming, and using gas, propane, or wood-burning appliances. If a task can wait until conditions improve, postponing it can help keep the cleaner-air room cleaner. Keep doors to that room closed as practical and use the available filtration there.
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AirNow identifies several groups that may be more affected by wildfire smoke or need to pay closer attention to reducing exposure:
- People with lung disease, including asthma or COPD.
- People with heart disease.
- Children and teenagers.
- Older adults, generally people 65 and older.
- People with greater exposure, including outdoor workers.
- Pregnant people, and people with limited access to measures that reduce exposure, who may also face greater risk.
If you have asthma or another lung condition, follow your clinician’s directions and your action plan. Contact a healthcare professional if symptoms worsen. People who cannot readily create filtered indoor air may need to identify an accessible cleaner-air location in advance, especially when local conditions are expected to deteriorate.
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Common mistakes to avoid
- Treating a category boundary as a personal safety guarantee. The AQI communicates increasing health concern and recommended actions; health needs and exposure differ.
- Checking only once. Conditions can change during the day, so a prior reading may no longer guide the next activity.
- Assuming any mask filters smoke. AirNow distinguishes N95 respirators from cloth masks for wildfire-smoke protection.
- Installing a filter without checking the system. A MERV rating alone does not establish that a filter fits or is compatible with your HVAC equipment.
- Sealing a home while ignoring dangerous heat. If the indoor space becomes too hot, move to a cooler clean-air location and follow emergency guidance.
What AQI can—and cannot—tell you
AQI makes pollution levels easier to interpret by pairing them with categories and health recommendations. During a wildfire, the AirNow smoke map focuses on particle pollution, while the broader index covers five major regulated pollutants. Its current information, category advice, daily history, and trend indicator can support decisions about activity and exposure. But the index is not a personal diagnosis, and a reading is not a forecast that conditions will remain unchanged. For U.S. readers, combine the current category with local alerts, your health circumstances, and the protective steps available to you.
This guidance describes the U.S. AQI and U.S. AirNow recommendations. Readers outside the United States should use their jurisdiction’s air-quality scale and public-health instructions, which may use different categories or advice.
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