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Though scorching heat is predicted for areas away from the immediate coast this week, air quality for much of the Bay Area is not expected to suffer too badly, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
Air quality in four Bay Area zones — the South Central Bay, the Santa Clara Valley, the Northern Zone and the Eastern Zone — is predicted to be “moderate” Monday through Friday, according to the agency’s Air Quality Index released Sunday.
This index is a representation of air pollution concentration levels. It assigns numbers between 0 and 500 and helps determine when air quality is expected to be unhealthy. It includes measures for six pollutants: ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and two sizes of particulate matter.
The numbers used for the index are divided into six color-coded ranges. The first range is green, with a score of 0-50. Health impacts are not expected when air quality is in this range. This week is expected to fall into the next range, which is yellow, or moderate, at 51-100. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
The ranges continue upward, going from orange to red to purple to maroon. Maroon indicates emergency conditions.
