Verité Research unveils Airquality.lk

Think tank Verité Research has unveiled a new website – AirQuality.lk to underscore the importance of quality air for people and for the economy.

“AirQualiity.lk was created with the aim of serving two purposes; to inform the public about the quality of air in a comprehensible manner so that they may take action to protect their health and to help countries develop and assess policies for better air quality,” the think tank said.

Initiated by Verité Research, this platform is supported by a partner network which includes the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO), Entgra, Mitsubishi Corporation and the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives.

The quality of air in Sri Lanka has dropped to an all-time dangerous level. Experts say this phenomenon could last till the end of the next week.

Air quality is measured with the Air Quality Index, or AQI. The AQI works like a thermometer that runs from 0 to 500 degrees and is used to show how polluted the air is, along with the risks associated with each rating. These risks and standards are based on medical research for the acceptable levels of major air pollutants such as; particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), Ozone (O3), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), and Carbon Monoxide (CO) emissions. 

Many adverse health effects have been directly linked to air pollution consisting of fine inhalable particle matter that are 2.5 micrometres or smaller in diameter. This is what is referred to as PM2.5, which is the most widely measured air pollutant worldwide (An average human hair is about 70 micrometres – about 30 times larger than PM2.5).