Air Quality Monitoring
C5 is dedicated to monitoring air quality in our community. We maintain a PurpleAir sensor that provides real-time air quality data to help residents make informed decisions about outdoor activities and environmental health. Our mission is to increase awareness and transparency regarding air quality in Charles City County.
Contact C5 through email or our Facebook page if you live in Charles City County and are interested in hosting a PurpleAir sensor.
10-Minute Air Quality Average
Below is the current 10-minute average air quality reading from our sensor at the C5 Farm in Charles City County. This rolling average helps smooth out momentary fluctuations and provides a more stable representation of air quality conditions.
Real-Time Air Quality Map
View all of the PurpleAir sensors installed in Charles City County on the interactive map below. The map displays real-time air quality measurements using EPA AQI standards.
Click on any sensor (circle with a number in it) to view a trend chart showing the air quality in Charles City County from the past few days. This works best on a desktop computer.
Did you know? How breathing polluted air is like smoking cigarettes
Researchers with the organization Berkeley Earth found in 2015 that the negative health effects of breathing polluted air are equivalent to smoking cigarettes, even for non-smokers. A daily AQI of 60 can have the same amount of negative health consequences (lung problems, heart disease, cancer risk) as smoking a cigarette per day!
Air quality of 60 AQI = smoking one cigarette per day
Air quality of 100 AQI = smoking two cigarettes per day
Air quality of 150 AQI = smoking three cigarettes per day
Check the AQI in Charles City County above - how many "cigarettes" worth of air pollution might you be exposed to?
Visit the American Lung Association and AirNow.gov to learn more about the health impacts of air pollution and what you can do to reduce them for yourself and your loved ones.
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What is AQI?
The Air Quality Index measures how clean or polluted the air is on a scale of 0-500.
Real-Time Data
Our sensor provides continuous measurements of PM2.5 particles and air quality conditions.
Community Science
PurpleAir sensors enable community members to monitor air quality in their neighborhoods.
AQI to cigarette calculations based on jasminedevv's AQI to Cigarette Calculator. Cigarette icon by Good Ware - Flaticon.