When you decide to start anew in a new city, there are several things to consider before hiring one of the available Atlanta moving companies: utilities, accessibility, safety, and more. However, among all these factors, air quality is an important—and often overlooked—aspect to investigate.
Air pollution is an invisible threat but can severely affect your quality of life. So that you understand what types of healthcare risks you’re exposing yourself to before a move, here’s how to check air quality and pollution.
The Importance of Air Quality for a Healthy Lifestyle
The term “air pollution” describes the existence of dangerous compounds in the atmosphere that can hurt the climate, the environment, and your health. It happens due to the release of chemicals, gases (such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter), and particles into the atmosphere from factories, automobiles, construction sites, and even wildfires.
These contaminants have the potential to lower air quality, which can make breathing more difficult and lead to major health problems like lung issues, heart disease, and asthma. It can damage animals and plants and exacerbate global issues like climate change.
Moreover, bad air quality fosters sedentarism, as inhabitants can’t easily conduct physical activities outdoors. Some of the cities with the most air pollution in the United States are Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Denver.
How Much Does Air Quality Affect Americans’ Moving Decisions?
Sadly, many people don’t pay much attention to air quality when they move. This is partly because most major U.S. cities do not have good air quality.
People tend to value the accessibility and comfort of big cities over the quality of air, which is why moving trends show that more and more people are moving to areas with notable air pollution.
If asked, people are, on average, more interested in moving to cities with better air quality—but they do not check pollution or pay attention to the Air Quality Index (AQI) before a move.
How to Check a City’s Air Quality Before Moving?
The AQI is a trustworthy indicator for evaluating air quality since it informs users of the air’s cleanliness and pollution levels as well as any potential health risks. Rather than simply providing a list of numbers, it focuses on the health effects that you might encounter a few hours or days after breathing in polluted air.
The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern. For example, the API suggests moderate air quality in Atlanta. While air quality is acceptable, there may be risks for those who are sensitive to air pollution, like people with asthma.
Learn From Atlanta Moving Companies and Protect Your Health
Whether they know it or not, millions are at risk from outdoor air pollution in the U.S. And sadly, this problem is only expected to grow. Until local governments start taking active measures to control and reduce air pollution, you must investigate the quality of air you’ll be breathing at your new home.
Once you find a city you can move to with ease, Pink Zebra Moving can help. Contact us today to relocate to your new home with ease and comfort!