AQI Guidelines and Procedures

What is AQI and how do we monitor it?

AQI stands for air quality index and measures, as it says, the air quality. We are worried about fine particulate matter like smoke, pollution, dust, and more. We use two different platforms to monitor it: airnow.gov and purpleair.com. Airnow.gov uses highly calibrated devices that are well maintained and give very accurate readings every 1-2 hours. Purpleair.com uses cheaper devices that are owned by individuals and can give near real-time data, but may not be as accurate. We will use the AQandU conversion for this as it is the most accurate reading for our area.

We monitor the AQI daily by using airnow.gov to give us a baseline of what the AQI was when it last updated and then use purpleair.com to see what the AQI is currently to give us a kind of forecast.

What do the numbers mean and how do we use them?

As you can see in the image below, an AQI of 0-50 is good, 51-100 is moderate, 101-150 is unhealthy for sensitive groups, and so on. After consulting with several clubs, leagues, and air quality professionals, we have decided on these guidelines:

• 0-100: Train/play as normal

• 101-124: Train with limited exertion (walking pace)

• 125 and up: No training for the day

When do we make a decision to train?

Every day at 3 p.m., we check airnow.gov and purpleair.com to monitor the AQI. We will then message members through PlayMetrics no later than 3:15 p.m. that day. We make these decisions to play or not with the long-term health of our players and coaches in mind. We also wait until 3 p.m. to give us an accurate AQI for training and an hour of time before the session.