LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Does it feel like you’re breathing smoke when you go outside in Las Vegas today? Might as well be smoking a cigarette when the air is this bad, right?
The truth is, if you were outside for a full 24 hours with the air this bad, it would be about the same as smoking 9.11 cigarettes according to an online calculator. That’s just too much of a coincidence on Sept. 11, right?
That’s according to the “AQI to Cigarettes Calculator” using the current Air Quality Index in Green Valley — 250. Around the valley at noon on Wednesday, the AQI ranged from 164 (unhealthy) at Pioneer Park in the west valley to 286 (very unhealthy) in Boulder City.
Developed by Jasmine Webb, a programmer in Portland, Oregon, the calculator puts a lot of science into terms more people can understand. She developed the calculator after living through wildfires in the summer of 2020, when she gathered with friends around her air purifier for relief from the Portland skies.
AQI includes a measure of particulate matter in the air — but only if you’re looking at “PM 2.5 AQI.” That’s the measurement used in the Clark County Division of Air Quality’s numbers. You can look up AQI number closest to your neighborhood using Clark County’s “Air Quality at a Glance” map:
Grab that number and plug it into the online calculator. The calculator also gives you a field to adjust the hours of exposure. You’re probably not outdoors for the full 24 hours.
Some measurements as of noon Wednesday (numbers have already started to come down):
VERY UNHEALTHY:
- 256 — Garrett Junior High in Boulder City
- 250 — Green Valley
- 205 — Walnut Recreation Center (Walnut Road at Cheyenne Avenue)
- 204 — Liberty High School (Bermuda Road near St. Rose Parkway)
UNHEALTHY:
- 200 — Jerome Mack Middle School (Lamb Boulevard at Karen Avenue)
- 195 — Paul Meyer Air Monitoring Station (Peace Way at Tenaya Way)
- 194 — Walter Johnson Junior High (Buffalo Drive at Ducharme Avenue)
- 192 — Sunrise Acres Air Monitoring Station (Eastern Avenue near Stewart Avenue)
- 188 — Rancho Drive at Teddy Drive (Behind Palace Station)
- 187 — Joe Neal STEAM Academy (Azure Drive near Rainbow Boulevard)
- 186 — Mountain’s Edge (Mountain’s Edge Parkway near Buffalo Drive
- 167 — Palo Verde High School (Alta Drive at Pavilion Center Drive)
At an AQI of 167, that’s like smoking 4.29 cigarettes. At 256, it’s 9.39 cigarettes.
Officials advise people to stay inside when air quality is bad, but it’s not always enough — especially when the fire is close. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notes:
“You should be aware that some of the smoke from outdoors can enter your home and make it unhealthy to breathe indoor air, too.”
The EPA’s advice on wildfires and indoor air quality says, “If you are close to a wildfire, the fire itself, as well as heavy smoke and ash, can pose serious, immediate risks to your safety and health. You and your family should be prepared to evacuate immediately if told to do so. Farther from a wildfire, you may be exposed to smoke even if the fire itself is far away.”
