A new website that provides near real-time data on the air quality in Hawaii is now live to coincide with National Air Quality Awareness Week, which is recognized from April 29 to May 3, the state Department of Health announced today.
Residents and visitors to the islands now have a one-stop online resource for air-quality information that is especially useful in the event of future volcanic eruptions, according to the DOH.
Developed by the DOH, data for the website is pulled from air-quality monitoring stations at strategic locations throughout the state, the majority of which are on Hawaii Island.
The public can access the data, which includes an interactive air quality map, at http://health.hawaii.gov/cab/hawaii-ambient-air-quality-data/.
The unprecedented severity and duration of last summer’s Kilauea eruption pointed to the need for useful, accessible and reliable data for residents affected by the resulting vog and other effects of the volcano. The DOH was able to successfully secure more than $1.5 million in federal and state funds to expand and upgrade the state’s air-quality monitoring system.
The funding enabled the state to invest in six new long-term stations, which have been located at Honaunau, Kailua-Kona, Kea‘au, Na‘alehu, Pahoa and Waikoloa. The total system now consists of 18 air quality monitoring stations statewide, the DOH said.
Implementation of the expanded air-quality monitoring system was a collaborative, intradepartmental initiative between the health department’s Clean Air Branch and State Laboratories Division.
“Kilauea provided valuable lessons for our state. Residents in communities on the Big Island were severely impacted by Kilauea, especially those with respiratory conditions,” said Bruce Anderson, health director, who is a Hawaii Island resident himself. “There were numerous days during the eruption when the air quality was unhealthy and health effects were a concern. We listened to the concerns of residents, took action to improve our air quality monitoring system, and created a one-stop, user-friendly website. We’re much more volcano-ready than we have ever been.”