The U.S. Embassy uses an air quality monitor approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to measure fine particulates as an indication of the air quality around the Embassy complex located in Leninskoye district. Research has linked air pollutants such as particular matter (PM) to lung and heart disease and other health problems. Air pollution is likely to have a more severe impact on sensitive populations, including those with heart or lung disease, children, and older adults. This monitor is a resource for the health of Embassy employees, their families, and the surrounding community.
Our monitor measures localized air quality based on the presence of fine particulates less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter known as PM 2.5. These particulates present a great health risk because they are small enough to directly enter the lungs and even the blood stream, possibly leading to cardiovascular diseases. For more information, please visit the EPA website.
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. Please note that AQI is different from the Atmospheric Pollution Index (Индекс загрязнения атмосферы), which is a monthly and annually calculated metric used in the Kyrgyz Republic and other CIS countries. AQI reports hourly and daily levels of actual pollution in the immediate vicinity of the air quality monitor. For more information on AQI and how it is calculated, please click here.
The monitor’s measurements, expressed in the form of PM 2.5 concentration (micrograms per cubic meter, µg/m3) and corresponding AQI, are available on AirNow.gov.
| 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. |