SAUGUS — The air quality monitor on Bristow Street near Rumney Marsh is officially online, allowing residents to take a look at the data it collects.
The monitor was discussed at the last Board of Health meeting. One thing to note is that the Town is not looking for individual quick spikes but instead for what the monitor collects over an extended period of time.
The monitor can be found on MassDEP’s MassAir Online website, where all monitors in Massachusetts are displayed on a map and live.
The indicators on the map will read as green (good), yellow (moderate), orange (unhealthy for sensitive groups), red (unhealthy), purple (very unhealthy), and gray (no data).
A reading of 0-50 is considered good, according to the Air Quality Index. A 51-00 reading is moderate, and anything above 100 is unhealthy territory. The index goes from 0-500.
According to MassDEP, there are many factors that can cause differences in air quality across the state, including the season, wind, weather, and location. This is one of the reasons the monitor will be looked at through a stretch of time to collect full data.
The monitor will specifically be collecting fine particles and currently has an AQI reading of 24, which is in the green zone.
“I am delighted that the project has been completed and the air quality monitor is now up and running,” said Maria Tamagna, Board of Health chair. “We are looking forward to learning more about what information the monitor will be able to provide us. We understand that any project like this can take longer than anticipated but are so grateful we now have it operational.
“The Board is hoping to have more informational sessions in the future at one of our meetings by the representatives from the State. This will be so that we all can better understand the information the air quality monitor provides us.”
