U.S. Embassy & Consulates in India

U.S. Mission India NowCast Air Quality Index

The U.S. Embassy and Consulates’ air quality monitors measure airborne fine particulate matter (commonly referred to as PM 2.5 because they are less than or equal to 2.5 microns in diameter) on the compounds of the Embassy and Consulates. Data from a single monitoring station cannot be applied to an entire city. Therefore, air quality data collected at the U.S. Embassy and Consulates may differ from other monitors located in the same cities.

The air quality data collected by the U.S. Mission in India is translated into actionable information by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) NowCast algorithm. This algorithm converts raw PM 2.5 readings into an air quality index (AQI) value that can help inform health-related decisions. The index is calculated based on data over a 3-12 hour period depending on the variability of particulate concentration.

PM 2.5 is a standard recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and allows us to compare against U.S. standard measures. For more information on PM2.5 and air quality in general, please visit the EPA’s website. U.S. Mission India does not track other contaminants that contribute to air pollution [e.g. coarse dust particles (PM10), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and carbon monoxide (CO)].

If a reading of “-999” appears for any of the U.S. Embassy’s or Consulates’ readings, please disregard it as this indicates that the data is currently unavailable for the site in question.

AirNow DOS collects, maintains, and publishes Air Quality Monitoring data from U.S. embassies and consulates around the world to inform U.S. personnel and citizens overseas. Visit https://www.airnow.gov/international/us-embassies-and-consulates/ to get air quality information.