Seattle Air Quality Rates High in New Report

March 26, 2024 at 4:22 p.m.

In March, IQAir released the World Air Quality Report, which provides the most comprehensive air pollution report available for the year 2023. Not only does the report discuss air quality around the globe, but offers insight into local air quality, including specific reports for Seattle and the Northwest.

The report is based on data collected from more than 30,000 stations. 

IQAir operates the world's largest free, real-time air quality information platform. "A clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a universal human right," states Frank Hammes, Global CEO of IQAir. "In many parts of the world the lack of air quality data delays decisive action and perpetuates unnecessary human suffering." IQAir's website tells us that every year, 7 million people die from air pollution. "Air quality data saves lives," adds Hammes. "Where air quality is reported, action is taken, and air quality improves.”

Of particular interest to those of us in the Northwest, IQAir reports that Seattle has made a major turnaround after devastating fires in 2022 marked a sharp increase in the city's air pollution. "While this last fire season wasn't much more forgiving, the region as a whole was significantly better about responding to blazes quickly and decisively, bringing Seattle back to having some of the cleanest air of any major U.S. city," IQAir tells us.

Although Seattle is reported as having some of the country's cleanest air, Las Vegas, Nevada was ranked as the cleanest major city in the U.S.

You can visit IQAIR's site: www.iqair.com/us/, for a real-time report on your location. When I visited the site on March 26, it told me that my town of Des Moines, Washington had good air quality, rated 8 on that day, with fine, particulate matter levels (PM2.5) at acceptable levels. Fine, particulate matter is the world's deadliest air pollutant, according to IQAir.

Perhaps you will want to access the IQAir website next time you move to ensure that your destination offers crisp, clean air.

For more information and to view the IQAir 2023 report, visit https//www.iqair.com/us/. At the top of the page is an invitation to download IQAir's 2023 World Air Quality Report.
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