One number, colour coded, updated hourly. Checking it before a walk takes less time than tying your shoes and can change how the afternoon feels.
Why this matters
Adults over 50 spend roughly nine-tenths of their time indoors, and indoor air is often dirtier than the air outside. Your lungs handle about 11,000 litres of it a day. Getting the air quality index right is one of the highest-return things you can do for breathing, and it usually costs less than a month of supplements.
What goes into the number
Readings for fine particles (PM2.5), coarse particles, ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide are each scored, and the day's AQI is the worst of them. Fine particles and ozone drive most bad days.
What each colour asks of you
Green and yellow: carry on. Orange: if you are over 65 or have a lung or heart condition, ease off hard outdoor effort. Red and worse: exercise indoors, close the windows, run the purifier.
Where to look
AirNow.gov and most weather apps report current and forecast AQI by ZIP code. A cheap home sensor adds street-level detail, which matters during wildfire smoke.
Four things to try this week
- Check AQI before a walk the way you check rain.
- Ozone peaks mid-afternoon; go early.
- Over 65? Close windows on orange days.
- N95s stop particles, not ozone.
Mistakes we see often
- Choosing a purifier rated for a smaller room than yours.
- Covering smells with fragrance rather than ventilating.
- Leaving filters until airflow visibly drops.
- Assuming air that looks clean is clean.
Where Lungora fits
Why mention Lungora in an article about the air quality index? Because the readers who care about this subject are the same readers who ask us about daily nutritional support. For them we offer one capsule with a six-line ingredient list. We print the limits alongside it, including the fact that only the magnesium amount is disclosed.
As this blog lives on the Lungora official website, a product note is fair: six named ingredients in a single daily capsule, aimed at circulation, cellular energy and antioxidant defence, no stimulants, and 60 days to send it back if it does not earn its place. You can read more about what is Lungora and Lungora ingredients on the Lungora site.
A seven-day start
Day one: check your local air quality index. Day two: find out how old your furnace or purifier filter is. Day three: buy a cheap hygrometer. Day four: run the extractor every time you cook. Day five: air the bedroom for ten minutes if the outdoor reading is good. Day six: vacuum with a HEPA machine. Day seven: note what changed. Progress on the air quality index is built from steps this small.
When to see a doctor
Better air helps everyone, but a symptom still needs a proper look. A cough, wheeze or tight chest that persists after you have cleaned up your home's air, or eases on holiday and returns at home, is a pattern worth describing to your doctor. Sudden breathlessness, chest pain or blood in sputum need urgent care.
In brief: the air quality index
- The AQI scale runs 0 to 500.
- What goes into the number: start here.
- Where to look: where small daily choices show up.
- A capsule such as Lungora is optional and comes after medical care, never instead of it.
One capsule with breakfast
Six named ingredients, no stimulants. Read more on the Lungora official website.
Order LungoraFrequently asked questions
What air quality index is unhealthy?
Over 100 for sensitive groups, which includes adults over 65; over 150 for everyone.
Should I open windows for cleaner air?
When outdoor air is clean, yes. Keep them shut during smoke, high pollen or ozone alerts.
What does Lungora contain?
Six named ingredients in a once-daily capsule: magnesium glycinate 80 mg, alpha lipoic acid, butcher's broom root, L-carnitine, turmeric 95% and CoQ10.
Sources
A note on method: we aim for clarity. The health statements here come from the public sources linked below, and nothing on this page substitutes for personal medical advice.