Shiraz air quality map

What information do air pollution maps provide in Shiraz?

Air quality maps, or air pollution maps as they are also referred to, are used in Shiraz and throughout the rest of Iran and worldwide, to gauge the level of air pollution contained within a specific part of the city. There are also relevant city pages available for each location, which gives a pollution reading for the city as a whole, with this figure being aggregated from the different air quality monitoring stations available throughout the city. Some cities across the world will have many of these air pollution monitoring stations available, some placed there by government organizations, whilst others are set up by individuals or non-governmental entities. The air quality map pages differ in the way that they give their information, which as mentioned above, is in the form of localized pollution or air quality readings. Whilst the regular city pages (which can also be viewed on the IQAir website when you search for Shiraz or any other cities, with the two pages being closely linked) can provide a quick overview of what is going on in the city, with prominent spikes in air pollution being shown, as well as the concentration levels of certain pollutants being shown, they do not include where these polluting sites or sources are coming from, as well as how other parts of the city may be experiencing significantly cleaner air (with geographical features also playing a part in this), along with other parts of the city having much more severe pollution levels.

This provides some insight into what the air quality map pages do, both for Shiraz and other cities in Iran and throughout the world. Certain members of society would do well to follow these air quality map readings, as often as possible due to fluctuating pollution levels. Some of these more vulnerable groups who may need additional protection or pollution exposure reduction will be mentioned further on in the article. In closing, air quality map pages provide the pollution levels in the form of US AQI readings (United States air quality index) showing up in many different areas on the map displayed above. These can be seen on the colored discs shown on the map, with different colors being a quick way to gauge how clean or how polluted a particular area is. If users find that they are in a more highly polluted area, preventative measures such as the use of fine particle filtering masks or avoiding strenuous outdoor activity may be extremely helpful in reducing any potential negative issues related to higher pollution exposure in Shiraz.

Which people are more likely to benefit from viewing air quality maps in Shiraz?

As touched upon earlier, there will always be groups of people within any given population that are much more at risk of the often dangerous and debilitating effects of air pollution exposure, particularly during acute bouts of smoke or other pollutants being in higher concentration in the air, as well as over longer periods where chronic health issues may start to appear.

Such groups, who can be considered as more at-risk and thus can benefit from keeping their pollution exposure as low as possible (which can be aided by referring to the air quality map above for Shiraz, as well as any others if users are traveling, as they can be used in any part of the world, with growing air quality stations being constantly added to the aggregation of air pollution readings) can cover a wide variety of different people. These include ones such as young children and babies, both of whom are highly vulnerable to the effects that certain air pollution exposure can bring. Numerous studies conducted over decades have shown that high pollution exposure to young children and infants can cause several debilitating effects, not to mention the chronic or long-term issues that may occur that can follow younger children into their adulthood, with breathing issues such as asthma as well as skin issues such as eczema, or just general allergies that come from exposure to many different dirty particles or dust, very common within inner city areas where pollution can accumulate in large quantities over long periods of time.

Others include the elderly, who are very much vulnerable to respiratory illnesses, as well as those that affect the heart or circulatory system. Mild chest or throat infections can often turn into more severe or life-threatening issues when left untreated, which can reduce overall lifespans as well as the quality of life amongst those that begin to suffer from such illnesses or ailments. Other groups that are of note include pregnant mothers, those with pre-existing medical conditions, poor or compromised immune systems (with the last two often going hand in hand), and those that have a hypersensitive disposition to any number of pollutants found in the air throughout Shiraz. Utilizing the air quality map may give such groups (along with those that are conscious about keeping their air pollution exposure levels to a minimum) an edge in either staying away from such areas or at least putting some of the aforementioned preventative measures into place when possible.

What pollutants are used to calculate the readings for the air quality maps in Shiraz?

Whilst there are concentration levels given on the city page for Shiraz and other cities in Iran, the air quality map page itself does not offer pollution concentration levels for direct display. To inform users about the pollutants that they are exposed to (with knowledge about air quality often helping in the ongoing battle against a growing worldwide threat), some of the pollutants used in calculating the US AQI reading will be cited to give readers an idea of the type of pollutants that they will be exposed to, with concentration levels, of course, varying highly from area to area, depending on the industrial activities, illegal activities such as the burning of waste materials, or other factors such as the land playing a role, with finely ground sand and dust particles coming from the earth also being part of what is considered as particle-based pollution. The pollutants used in calculating the US AQI levels are carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide, along with PM2.5 and PM10, the two main particle pollutant categories. A plethora of different materials such as black carbon, silica, bacteria, sand, metals, nitrates and sulfates, as well as pollen or other microscopic organic matter, fall into these brackets, depending on their size. PM2.5 is the more dangerous of the two, and high levels of it can present a greater danger to those exposed to it within Shiraz.

How can you tell when the air pollution levels are dangerous within Shiraz?

When the colored discs on the air quality map above start to go above a certain level, the discs will change color, getting darker as the pollution levels increase. whilst it is most optimal to always be within the 'good' air quality range, this is not always possible, and sometimes the air quality readings may jump up to significantly higher levels. Readings that fall into the 'unhealthy for sensitive groups' or 'unhealthy' groups are when the air quality readings start to become a problem for people within Shiraz, and appropriate measures should be taken whenever possible. Long-term efforts regarding the environment will also be a part of keeping people safe, although due to continued population growth worldwide, it is an ongoing problem for many cities that still rely on fossil fuels or areas that have less stringent rules regarding polluting practices, particularly in regards to factories, businesses or even individuals committing acts that can cause large amounts of pollution to escape into the atmosphere, salient in Shiraz and the rest of the country.