New Institute-Created App Tracks Air Quality

MassLive and Yahoo! News covered the launch of a new app called Air Watch, created by the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, an NNPHI member public health institute. Air Watch tracks air quality with more than 100 sensors set up in neighborhoods across the state, with the most dense concentration of trackers in the Pioneer Valley. The sensors measure fine particulate matter, which can irritate the lungs. The new free app makes the information more easily accessible, which is particularly useful for people with asthma or other respiratory conditions. Users can set up alerts to their phone for poor air quality in their neighborhood.

For years, the Springfield, Massachusetts metro area has struggled with high asthma rates. In the past, it’s made the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s annual ranking of top asthma capitals in the nation.

“It’s been really hard to see the Springfield area show up as the asthma capital two years in a row,” said Sarita Hudson, senior director of strategy and development at the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts.