Shanghai introduces new hourly air quality measure

Residents of Shanghai, China will soon receive regular updates on the air quality of the city. Hourly updates are set to be introduced today (April 15th) via a new air quality measure, according to the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau. This means that residents will be able to avoid strenuous activity or going outside during periods of high air pollution, possibly helping to improve health.

The new measure will provide updates for all the major forms of air pollution, including particulate matter measuring under 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) and less than 10 micrometers (PM10). The city will continue to make use of the original air quality index (AQI) in order to forecast days of poor air quality ahead of time. It will also be used to activate pollution alarms, according to the bureau.

Residents will be able to access readings from both of the measures via the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Centre's website. News on air quality updates will also be made available via a mobile app, social media and television news broadcasts; allowing as many people as possible to access up-to-date information.

Fu Qingyan, chief engineer at the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Centre, told the Shanghai Daily: "The current AQI provides a useful guide to air quality and is in line with the national standard. But when conditions change it can become quickly outdated, which is where the new index is better."

The new measure will help to improve the accuracy of updates, compared to the current AQI. The original AQI measures six different pollutants: sulphur dioxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, PM2.5, carbon monoxide and PM10. It is reported hourly, however, only four pollutants are actually updated each hour as PM2.5 and PM10 are given as an average based upon the past 24 hours. The new system will provide more accurate readings.

The implementation of this strategy means that there will be up-to-date readings available when weather conditions are changeable, which can lead to small or drastic changes in pollution levels.