Air quality in five of India’s major cities saw little improvement in 2018. In short, air quality was flat in Hyderabad year over year, while air quality worsened in Mumbai and Kolkata. Here’s the full data to show you just how bad India’s air quality levels were in 2018: Worsening air quality in India comes […]
Author: Thomas Talhelm
Thomas is an Associate Professor of Behavior Science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and the founder of Smart Air, a social enterprise to help people in China breathe clean air without shelling out thousands of dollars for expensive purifiers.
Top Air Purifiers in Shanghai Consumer Protection Bureau Tests
Using actual air purifier test data on is the best way to cut through the misleading marketing claims purifier companies make to try to get us to pay more money for clean air. For that reason, I’m always on the look out for good test data. Data is power. One source I like […]
Did Hyderabad’s Air Quality Improve in 2018?
Analyzing air quality data from the US Consulate, Smart Air found that Hyderabad’s air quality was flat in 2018 compared to last year. At this level, Hyderabad averages nearly six times the World Health Organization’s annual air quality limit. Month by Month Analysis Breaking down the data by month, air quality in 2018 tracked […]
Did Chennai’s Air Quality Get Better in 2018?
Analyzing air quality data from the US Consulate, Smart Air found that Chennai’s air quality improved 9% in 2018 compared to last year. Despite the improvement, Chennai still averages over three times the World Health Organization’s annual limit. Chennai air pollution by month Breaking down the data by month, air quality started 2018 at worse […]
Did Mumbai’s Air Quality Improve in 2018?
Analyzing air quality data from the US Consulate, Smart Air found that Mumbai’s air quality worsened 15% in 2018 compared to last year. This extra smog pushes Mumbai to an average of more than seven times the World Health Organization’s annual limit. Mumbai’s air quality started 2018 at higher levels. Yet the largest […]
Did Kolkata’s Air Get Better in 2018?
Analyzing air pollution data from the US Consulate, Smart Air found that Kolkata’s air pollution rose 19% in 2018 compared to last year. This extra smog pushes Kolkata to an average of more than nine times the World Health Organization’s annual limit. Kolkata started the year with January pollution above 2017. Kolkata air pollution […]
Did Delhi’s Air Quality Improve in 2018?
After analyzing Delhi’s air quality data from the US Embassy in 2018, Smart Air found that air pollution fell 5% in 2018 compared to 2017. Despite the slight improvement, Delhi still averaged more than 10 times the World Health Organization’s annual air quality limit, making it one of the most polluted cities in the world. Delhi started […]
What is the best air purifier on the market today?
I started thinking about this question a lot because I was living in Beijing, and the “airpocalypse” struck: I had a cough I couldn’t shake for weeks, so I started doing research into air purifiers. Unlike another answer here, I wasn’t concerned about allergens like pollen. I was concerned about the very small particles […]
How Accurate is the Huawei Air Quality Monitor? New Test!
When I started building DIY air purifiers in Beijing to protect my lungs from this… …I wanted to test the air in my home, but particle counters were really expensive. Most cost around $1,000 or $2,000 dollars. But then there was the Dylos, which I bought for about $260. […]
How do people in Beijing exercise with such bad air pollution?
I’m in Beijing right now, and I’m going to exercise today. So what can I do when the world outside my window looks like this? Would exercise do more harm than good? 1. The point where exercise becomes harmful Researchers at Cambridge analyzed studies on the benefits of exercise and the harms of air […]