San Juan de Lurigancho air quality map

How much information about air quality is there on the air pollution map for San Juan de Lurigancho?

The air pollution map on the main city page acts as a link to a new set of pages that are filled with all the most up-to-date information there is about air quality in San Juan de Lurigancho.

When the page first opens, the background colour of the map will be the first thing to notice. The overall green colour indicates that the present air quality is “Good”. The meaning of the colours used can be seen in the legend at the foot of the page. Colours can range from pale green to dark purple and are standard across the entire IQAir website. The colours get darker as the air quality gets worse.

There are also some coloured discs scattered across the map which represent the locations of all the ground-level air monitoring stations there are in the area. However, not all cities have actual stations and instead rely on information from overhead satellites for their data about air quality. San Juan de Lurigancho is one such city with no physical sites. The ones that can be seen on the air pollution map for San Juan de Lurigancho are in and around Lima and Callao. In the middle of each disc is a number which is the United States Air Quality Index reading or US AQI for short. It is calculated by recording levels of six of the most commonly found pollutants in the city air. These are usually both sizes of Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide. Either way, this data is collected, the results are very much the same.

Once the figure has been verified, it is used as a benchmark when making comparisons between different towns and cities all over the world. The entire scheme has the backing of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Looking back to the main city page, the coloured band across the top of it shows the air quality at that time as being “Good” with a US AQI reading of 46. The green colouration of the banner also indicates this level. The asterisk on the right of the number shows that the data is calculated using overhead satellite modelling. The main pollutant was found to be PM2.5 with a recorded level of 11.1 µg/m³ (microns per cubic metre). This level is more than twice the suggested target of 5 µg/m³ as recommended by the WHO.

How much more useful information about air quality is there on the air pollution map for San Juan de Lurigancho?

In the top right-hand corner of the air pollution map for San Juan de Lurigancho is an icon that, when pressed, will open the pages in “Full-screen” mode so no information will be obscured.

When the page reopens there will be a list of four options running down the left-hand side of the screen which can each be toggled on and off to see the effects they have on the map.

The first option shows the sites of all the ground-level air monitoring stations there are in the region but none of them are in San Juan de Lurigancho because it relies on satellite data for its information.

The next option shows the locations of any wildfires there are that happen to be burning in the area. At the time of writing in May 2023, there were no reports of any fires in the region. If fires are detected then option number four needs to be consulted because it shows the speed and direction of the prevailing winds and will give a good indication as to where the ensuing smoke might drift to.

The third option changes the background colour of the map to show the current state of the air. When the air quality is poor, the colour could be rather dark and possibly overpowering. In this case, the option can be temporarily disabled so the map will take on a more subdued set of colours.

The remaining facts and figures about air pollution can be seen on the right-hand side of the screen. A table will be seen that ranks the top seven most polluted cities in the world. There is also a “Full-ranking” section where the rest of the participating world’s towns and cities can be found in descending order.

Can the source of the polluted air be seen on the air quality map for San Juan de Lurigancho?

The direct source of the polluted air cannot be seen on the air quality map for San Juan de Lurigancho but it is well-known that Lima is one of the most polluted cities in Latin America. The contamination comes mainly from the automotive fleet, the industrial park and from different commercial activities.

San Juan de Lurigancho is one of the districts with the highest number of polluting gases in the air, due to its geographical formation. Due to the population concentration, some of the main environmental problems undoubtedly include the generation, accumulation and inadequate disposal of solid waste, high noise levels due to the large volume of traffic and the type of vehicle units that include motorcycle taxis, which together with the factories emit combustion gases.

PM2.5 and PM10 are often discussed on the air pollution map for San Juan de Lurigancho, but what are they?

Particulate matter is made up of a number of components, including acids (such as nitrates and sulphates), ammonia, sodium chloride, organic chemicals, metals, soil or dust particles, and allergens (such as fragments of pollen or mould spores) and water. It is made up of a complex mixture of solid and liquid particles of organic and inorganic substances suspended in the air.

Particles come in a wide range of sizes and are classified based on their aerodynamic diameter as PM10 (particles with an aerodynamic diameter less than 10 microns) or PM2.5 (aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 microns). The latter are more dangerous, since, when inhaled, they can reach the peripheral areas of the bronchioles and alter pulmonary gas exchange.

Fine particles (PM2.5) are those smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter. These particles are so small that they can only be detected with an electron microscope. Sources of fine particles include all types of combustion, including motor vehicles, power plants, residential wood burning, forest fires, agricultural burning, and some industrial processes.