These are ugly particle pollution numbers for the Pittsburgh area, especially at noon on Monday after a rainy weekend. This pollution, which is mostly from vehicle exhaust, lingers in the valleys that many of these busy roads run through.

As Turnpike tolls continue to go up, more and more vehicles utilize non-toll roads like US 22, US 30, US 376 (Parkway east and west), US 65 and other non-toll roads that aren't equipped for this level of traffic.

The Eastern Hills are greatly underrepresented with these sensors. Can we get some people who live in Monroeville, Plum, Penn Hills, Irwin and North Huntingdon to purchase some of these to get better coverage for the network, and hopefully lead to results that are more accurate and precise. I live in one of those areas, but unfortunately don't have the money to purchase an item that would benefit the entire community and region. Sucks when you are so passionate about something and have to be limited by income in pursuing it. Was thinking of starting a gofundme to get some in my town, but don't know if I can afford paying taxes on the donations.

I mean, I feel like this map makes the numbers look scarier than they really are, as anything between 51 and 100 is in the yellow category for air quality by the EPA, which they define as: Air quality is acceptable. However, there may be a risk for some people, particularly those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.

This map also showing numbers very different from what Google Maps is showing for local air quality readings

https://ibb.co/6w6Xwtq

I would argue the opposite and say that these numbers underrepresent the problem, since hydrogen sulfide is not part of the PM2.5 measurement.

Also, the NAAQS standard for PM2.5 for any 24-hour period is currently 35 mcg/m^3. There's a reason numbers above that are not green.

While I think that more monitoring and engineering around air quality is 100% a good thing, there needs to be a reality check for those freaking about yellows and oranges on this map. On this scale, an average day 50 and most definitely 100 years ago would be a black hole to another galaxy on this particular color scale.

Our steel and coal valleys were once hell on earth in comparison to air quality today--I don't want to go back to it and we know better now. Obligatory Denora smog link--perspective.

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I'm in Pittsburgh's exurbs and I'm seeing more monitors, like in Penn Township, on that map.

Protect PT gave me a Purple Air monitor and installed it my home.

Interestingly, they told me they offered to buy and install these monitors at local public schools, but many schools refused them. If it turns out there's an air quality issue at the school, the school district has to address it, and it's cheaper to ignore it.

https://www.protectpt.org/

Yeah, except that 50 years ago, the planet wasn't heating up to the degree it is. Pollution + heat + humidity are having a detrimental effect on people's health.

Further, these numbers are in the WINTER. They're MUCH higher in the summer.

The air quality where I live -- in the EXURBS -- has been making me sick for years. I only recently made the correlation between the high levels of pollution from the highway and me feeling like shit.