13 October 2010
U.S. Environment Agency Helps Shanghai Breathe Easier
Washington — A successful U.S.-China collaboration on air quality monitoring was witnessed firsthand by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson during an October 13 visit to the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.
AirNow International, launched in May by EPA and the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau, provides real-time air quality information to Shanghai citizens through the Internet.
“The AirNow International project is one of the many success stories in our bilateral partnership. With EPA’s collaboration, Shanghai is moving in the right direction to improve its air quality and inform the public about health concerns,” said Jackson. “This is a great way for individuals to become environmental stewards and take the necessary steps to ensure that the air they breathe, and their children breathe, is clean and healthy.”
The administrator picked a good day for her visit: AirNow reported an air pollution index (API) of 50 for particulate matter, 21 for sulfur dioxide and 31 for nitrogen dioxide. In other words, the air quality in Shanghai rated an API “excellent.”
The API is a system for rating levels of air pollution that is somewhat similar to the air quality index (AQI) used in the United States, but the terminology used by each system to describe the same conditions differs. Levels the API describes as “excellent,” “good” and “slightly polluted” are equivalent to AQI ratings of “good,” “moderate” and “unhealthy for sensitive groups.”
The goal of both systems is to tell people how clean — or polluted — their outdoor air is and to identify associated health effects that might be a concern. Both the API and the AQI provide values for particulate matter, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. EPA’s AQI also offers measurements of the two other major air pollutants restricted by the U.S. Clean Air Act — ground-level ozone and carbon monoxide.
In the United States, EPA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Park Service worked with tribal, state and local agencies to develop the AirNow website. That site offers daily AQI forecasts as well as real-time AQI conditions for nearly 400 U.S. cities and provides links to more detailed state and local air quality websites.
AirNow International uses the tools developed for the United States and builds on Shanghai’s existing air quality monitoring network and capability in analyzing air quality data. Thanks to EPA’s technical assistance, Shanghai now can report air quality data to the public as soon as it becomes available.
The United States and China also collaborate on advanced air quality modeling to better understand air pollution sources and to reduce emissions from vehicles, power plants and other industries.
In addition, the two countries are working together to address issues related to climate change, water, toxic substances, solid and hazardous wastes and environmental governance.
AirNow’s air quality information for Shanghai is available in English and in Chinese.
(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)
