Air quality monitors installed across Wayne County: How to check your area

Metro Detroit, specifically Wayne County, is one of the worst areas in the country for air pollution, and while improving the air quality may be a work in progress for now, some organizations are making other changes to help residents mitigate the poor air quality.

Earlier this month, Wayne County partnered with JustAir, a Detroit-based environmental tech company whose network extends to Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, to install 100 stationary air quality monitors across Wayne County's 43 communities. Utilizing the JustAir platform and public dashboard, Wayne County residents can now check their hyperlocal air quality before spending time outside, which can help prevent respiratory illnesses like asthma in the long run.

JustAir shares that air quality can vary greatly even within a relatively small amount of space — as many as eight variations in one city block — so the company tries to place its monitors strategically within a community's pollutant sources to showcase problem areas and keep people safe.

All monitors measure PM2.5 and PM10 — particulate matter of different sizes — and nearly all measure nitrogen dioxide as well, but monitors placed in air pollution hot spots additionally assess nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, and ozone.

“Data is power,” said Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, Wayne County Health Director, in a news release. "By understanding the quality of the air, we breathe in real time, we are empowering community members with the information they need to protect themselves and to hold the polluters who poison our air accountable."

Air quality monitoring with JustAir is part of the Wayne County Air Quality Project which launched in August 2023 after Michigan skies filled with smoke from the Canadian wildfires, igniting conversations about air pollution and subsequent health risks.

More about the Wayne County Air Quality Project: Wayne County launches air-quality monitoring system

Later this summer, Wayne County and JustAir will hand out 500 mobile air quality monitors to interested residents to bring with them as they travel to work and school to further assess air quality and collect data on air quality trends during asthma attacks.

Air quality map

Use the handy map below to check the current air quality in your area.

Good

Moderate

Unhealthy for sensitive groups

Unhealthy

Very unhealthy

Hazardous

You also can check the air quality in Wayne County at justair.app. The website will reveal a map where to zoom in and out to select a colored monitor icon. Clicking on a monitor icon will read the location of the monitor, its local air quality index (AQI) and how recently the AQI was updated.

Enter a phone number to create an account and receive text alerts when air quality drops into poor conditions.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Air quality monitors installed across Detroit, Wayne County