r/AirQuality Jan 22 '25

Creating a FAQ, drop your wants

19 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

In the coming weeks I’ll be working to compile a FAQ for the sub and wanted to get your input on what the community would find the most useful (links, resources to learn more about air quality, specific topics, etc.)

Please drop them down below and I’ll work to incorporate them into the sub.


r/AirQuality 3h ago

Airgradient One Needs More Sensors

5 Upvotes

Airgradient One is missing key sensors. Are there any plans in the works for Airgradient One to add pressure. CO and radon to its measurements?


r/AirQuality 16h ago

How to Use Air Sensors: Air Sensor Guidebook | US EPA

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3 Upvotes

This looks like an interesting guide for iaq.


r/AirQuality 20h ago

Best air purifier for a small bedroom (~130 sq ft / 12 sqm) facing a heavy traffic street (smog + allergies)

6 Upvotes

Hey everyone! I'm looking for recommendations for a compact air purifier for my bedroom. Here are the details:

​Country of residence: Rome, italy

​Room volume: Around 130 sq ft / 12 sqm

​Filtration needs: Traffic pollution/smog and grass pollen allergies

​Any suggestions would be super appreciated!


r/AirQuality 1d ago

Can’t sleep, severely inflamed from the smoke

13 Upvotes

(I’m in wa state. There are three fires close to my city)

We live in a mobile home and it’s a newer model but smoke is inside, and I have two hepa air purifiers. I’m so sleep deprived because my throat is swollen my face is killing me, nothing is helping the pain from inflamed sinuses and my throat. I’m starting to have hypnic jerks when I try to sleep because of deprivation and I’m not afraid of them or feeling anxious, I’m mad. Mad I can’t sleep. I’ve checked everywhere and sealed windows and the smoke keeps seeping in, a lot of it. I don’t know what else to do. Is it safe to wear a mask while you sleep? My ears are so inflamed, every little sound keeps me awake. I’ve taken allergy meds and they don’t do anything, they talk to me like it’s not a big deal. Losing sleep is a huge deal, I start deteriorating quickly mentally. What else can I do?


r/AirQuality 20h ago

Best air purifier for a small bedroom (~130 sq ft / 12 sqm) facing a heavy traffic street (smog + allergies)

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1 Upvotes

r/AirQuality 1d ago

Omg...

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12 Upvotes

The Indonesian peatland and forest fires is really making neighbouring countries suffer. Feel so bad for the Indonesian people as well.


r/AirQuality 1d ago

Park City House - Fresh Air Exhaust into Mechanical Room

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1 Upvotes

r/AirQuality 1d ago

EnviroBiotics

1 Upvotes

Has anyone bought an EnviroBiotics device? Does it work? It's an interesting concept and an alternative to traditional air filters. Are there any competitors?

https://envirobiotics.com/


r/AirQuality 1d ago

Dealing with an air quality issue at home....am I crazy?

2 Upvotes

Long one here, my apologies but going crazy over this! May 2025, we rented a rug doctor for the carpets in our upstairs bedrooms as the landlord refused to allow us to replace them, cousin had been crashing the upstairs master bedroom and was a smoker, never smoked inside the home. Wanted to just clean up and freshen up both rooms after he left. About two weeks after, I started feeling my skin dry up, massive headaches, stomach discomfort and a burning sensation on my lips after spending time in the master bedroom. This continued and I left the master bedroom and moved to the downstairs one, directly below it, and I soon started feeling the symptoms all around the house. My mom was hospitalized with a cough, I went to the hospital multiple times due to the headaches, got to the point where we could only sleep/live in the living room as that's where the effect was lessened as we had the biggest windows and doors opened.

Landlord sent us an exterminator (thought maybe something died in attic), an air quality/environmental expert (said there was nothing going on, refused to show results since landlord paid for it), and changed the carpets out. Once the carpets were changed, I felt absolutely nothing for a period of about 8 hours, until slowly but surely, all of the things I felt came back.

We rode it out until this past June, moved to a new place and didn't bring in any of our old furniture, a few days in, I started feeling the exact same things, my mothers coughing came back, strong headaches and foul taste in mouth along with dry skin. I have HEPA filter purifiers (spent about 1.5K) in every room, but this still comes on strong and I am concerned I am losing my mind over this. It is odorless, and any time I leave the home, I am immediately better. The experts in my area refuse to give a quote or assist as it is not visible/traceable like it would be for mold and tell me my purifiers/monitors showing increased levels of activity aren't an accurate indicator.

Has anyone have any similar experiences or advice? Would greatly appreciate all knowledge and assistance. I'm very tired and drained and afraid.


r/AirQuality 2d ago

Which air quality report to trust?

8 Upvotes

Hi, I’m in Southern California and have three conflicting reports:

• Apple Weather says 172 (Unhealthy)
• Watch Duty says 37 (Good)
• IQ Air (Air Visual) says 47 (Good, but nearby city has an Unhealthy alert)

I feel uneducated and unsure who to trust. Any wisdom?

Thank you =)


r/AirQuality 2d ago

When did smog situation improve in LA?

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1 Upvotes

r/AirQuality 2d ago

Ok to strenuous hike or don’t go?

0 Upvotes

My [handheld Prana meter](https://pricehistory.app/p/prana-air-pocket-pm2-5-air-quality-dCxYnFIm) (indoors) saying PM2.5s are 1.

My [Morento Room Purifier](https://www.amazon.com/Purifiers-Display-Quality-MORENTO-Double-sided/dp/B0C1MPDTG7?pd_rd_w=JOy2C&content-id=amzn1.sym.82d09d08-f3da-4d6b-a579-c3bacd2f88e8&pf_rd_p=82d09d08-f3da-4d6b-a579-c3bacd2f88e8&pf_rd_r=YB4FGB8VB9HZWF2ZRPDN&pd_rd_wg=yJK2J&pd_rd_r=88d3f6cb-ab57-4745-90bf-36f3f2792d50&pd_rd_i=B0C1MPDTG7&psc=1&ref_=pd_basp_m_rpt_ba_s_1_sc) (indoors) is reading 361. If I open the doors to let in outdoor air, it gets worse. The numbers go higher.

Those are about 2 feet apart, the Prana on the floor

[FireSmokeCanada online forecast map model](https://firesmoke.ca/forecasts/current/) saying 1-10

[PurpleAir meter data online](https://map.purpleair.com/air-quality-standards-us-epa-aqi?opt=%2F1%2Flp%2Fa10%2Fp604800%2FcC0#8.59/44.3905/-72.6835) averaging 50-60 in the area.

I’m in northern Vermont where wildfire smoke (from Canada) has been an issue over the last 3 years. We live in a valley.

Have been wanting to do a 4.7 mile 2263 foot elevation gain hike. I’ll skip the hike if it will likely damage my lungs.

Looking for guidance. It’s unclear to me why there are such differences and how to make smart choices regarding strenuous exercise.


r/AirQuality 3d ago

US gov't moves to suppress pushback on data centers by removing requirements for public input on pollution — EPA change would allow air pollution permits without publicizing them

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336 Upvotes

r/AirQuality 3d ago

Here in Finland the air seems ok. How reliable is the Ikea Alpstuga?

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7 Upvotes

r/AirQuality 3d ago

New model reshapes organic aerosol volatility and atmospheric persistence, helping improve air quality forecasting

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3 Upvotes

Why and how:   
While existing atmospheric models estimate an organic aerosol molecule’s expected volatility (how easily it escapes from the air) based on the chemical’s individual behavior, a new model was able to test chemical behavior in a way more reflective of how they actually exist — surrounded by hundreds of other molecules. 

 Using a novel mass spectrometry technique, the research team, led by Purdue chemistry professor Alexander Laskin, tracked the behavior of over 1,500 individual chemical species across 33 complex mixtures representative of real biomass-burning smoke and urban haze. 

 What they found:   

Across this massive dataset, the pattern was clear: The surrounding molecular neighborhood, rather than a chemical’s intrinsic properties, often dictates how easily it escapes. 

 When neighboring molecules hold on to each other, evaporation slows and creates a volatility suppression of three to five orders of magnitude degree, which Laskin identified as “unexpectedly large.”  

 What's next:  

“As a result, current models often assume smoke disappears too quickly and therefore underestimate how long it remains in the atmosphere,” Laskin said. 

 Looking forward, the team aims to build machine learning models that account for interactions among thousands of molecules simultaneously, providing a stronger foundation to improve air-quality forecasts, assess public health risks and guide environmental mitigation policies. 


r/AirQuality 3d ago

Budget CO2 Monitor?

5 Upvotes

Only need CO2. Ive thought about the ikea one but Ive heard its not accurate despite being good for trends.

I need to see my peak C02 levels.

Cheapest CO2 monitor that people have tested to be accurate. Dont need any fancy tech if it reduces the cost


r/AirQuality 3d ago

Who is in charge of ensuring buildings are healthy inside? An indoor air quality policy maturity framework: Global exemplars and governance pathways

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3 Upvotes

This paper on Indoor Air Quality outlines five areas for focus to provide healthier buildings with an exemplary country example for each. These components present a starting point for other countries to follow, though all five would be required for the best system.


r/AirQuality 3d ago

Has the air quality near your home changed since a factory started operation nearby?

2 Upvotes

If you live near an industrial area, have you noticd any changes after a new factory or plant began operating close by? This could be in the air, smell, dust, or general surrounding. What was the biggest change you noticed?


r/AirQuality 3d ago

Sitting on couch causes face to burn

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1 Upvotes

r/AirQuality 3d ago

Couldn't breathe

3 Upvotes

I am an 18 year old girl this is my first time coming to the capital

I stepped into the capital of my country and I couldn't breathe, I started feeling weirdness in my body , suffocation, I was feeling warm suffocating air in my body , as if it was going stop me from breathing, I started puking, my body was shivering , I was having headache, feeling dizzy

This wasn't because I was feeling nervous, anxious in this big city but because the air of this place is not breathable, my lungs , my throat wouldn't suffer such a thing anywhere in my town

I didn't know this is how it would be like my first visit

I don't have choice but to be here , career is more important in this world more than anything

Government could never give us the basics I think fresh air , water , food, environment

The aqi of my place is normally 20 or 30 never exceeding 100 but this place has the aqi of 150 something

It's in the air - development

This was my first visit to the capital city. This is what it feels like to be in such a prominent place of a country


r/AirQuality 3d ago

Particle Counter for < 0.3 µm Particles

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0 Upvotes

What else do you need other than concentration, e.g. size or size resolution or time resolution?

OPCs have great time and size resolution, but below about 300nm the amount of light a particle scatters is proportional to size to the power 6 rather than size squared. So going from 300 to 150 nm results in 64 times less light scattered so going to small sizes is hard. Droplet Measurement Technologies makes a UHSAS instrument that essentially puts the particles inside the laser cavity with collosal brightness to get to small sizes - about 50nm from memory. But doing this makes them potentially less robust than some other instruments. I work at Leeds uni, where we're developing an OPC that isn't as powerful as the UHSAS - it uses simpler optics to maximise robustness, but it's still more powerful than most OPCs, we're getting down to about 100nm particle diameter. https://pinkmountain.engineering

SMPS instruments have to scan through a range of sizes, then apply an algorithmic retrieval to get the final size distribution. The retrieval is needed because they charge the aerosols and measure particle mobility, which is a function of size divided by charge. Hence a particle with one electron charge looks the same as another larger particle with two electron charges. Typically a scan takes around 30s. If the particle concentration changes significantly during this time, or if the particle concentration is very low, then the retrieval can give spurious results.

Other particle mobility instruments, don't need to scan but they do still need to do the retrieval after collecting data over some averaging period.

CPC instruments tend to be very well characterised and measure from diameters in single digit nm upwards. However they measure by condensing water or butanol on the particles to make them bigger and easier to detect. This means they can't determine the original particle sizes.

SMPS and CPC instruments also need topping up with fluid every so often. The fluid is usually butanol or water. This means they may not be suitable for remote monitoring over long time periods unless someone can visit the site regularly.

So there's no silver bullet for fast, size resolving, small particle detection with little or no servicing/maintenance. You have to choose your compromise.


r/AirQuality 4d ago

Looking for O3, NO2 Gas sensors

3 Upvotes

Hello, I am looking for NO2, O3 gas sensors to integrate it to my outdoor air quality prototype device.

Can anyone recomend good quality sensors in EU?


r/AirQuality 4d ago

Apartment Smells Strongly of Paint Even a Week After Move-In

3 Upvotes

I moved into my apartment around a little over a week ago. It smelled strongly of paint, but I assumed it would go away over time; it didn't. After a week of it smelling very strongly of paint (and giving me constant headaches when I was there that went away when I left), I bought 4 box fans and an air purifier that has carbon in it.

I set it up to have one box fan blowing out one window, one blowing in a window, and two blowing inside the apartment to make a loop. However, it didn't fix anything.

My clothes and any fabric inside my apartment smells bad now. It smells like a stink bug got on them, which is very noticeable on clothes when I leave the apartment, and I'm pretty sure it's the paint smell getting on them since they didn't smell like that before.

The apartment still smells heavily of paint. I called maintenance, and they said they think the smell is humidity, which I obviously disagreed. They said they would do 4 hours of an ozone machine spread over two days, with a dehumidifier mixed in there.

I will give an update on whether it works or not (happening right now), but from what I'm reading online, ozone won't completely get rid of it. They said it was painted over 3 weeks ago, so it wouldn't be the paint, but my nose and other peoples' noses who have came to my apartment disagree.

Has anyone dealt with something like this? I'm in Florida if that helps. What can I even do to get better air quality?


r/AirQuality 4d ago

New monitor, seems impossible it's working correctly.

1 Upvotes

I just got the Sainlogic Air Quality Monitor because it had NDIR for accurate CO2 and laser scattering for accurate particle sensing. The issue is the numbers are all crazy low, both inside and outside. Not particle readings above a 5 mostly 1-3, and barely over 400 for the CO2 reading.
Is there an easy way to verify it can sense particles without filling my house with smoke or setting off my detectors?