It's Air Quality Awareness Week

This week is Air Quality Awareness Week (May 5-9, 2025) — a great time to boost your knowledge about all things air quality!

You may already know about the Air Quality Index (AQI) and what the distinct levels mean in terms of how clean or polluted your outdoor air is. But do you know that the AQI is calculated from data collected from our state’s network of air monitoring stations?

Teams of experts at Ecology work hard to keep this network working accurately and efficiently. Let’s take a closer look at some of these detectives, troubleshooters, and superheroes who keep our network running smoothly, so you can make informed decisions to protect your health.

The Telemetry Team

In the basement of Ecology’s Lacey facility, we find a pair of Sherlock Holmeses based in the Air Quality Telemetry Lab. Systems Administrators Moe Bush and Brandon Feazel rely on their keen observations and logical reasoning to handle complex issues as they arise. This two-person team manages the electronic collection of air monitoring data from around 130 different air monitoring sites across the state.

It’s a job full of variables, from the types of monitors and data networks to the way the information is collected. One site might rely on a cellular or DSL connection, while another relies on an internal modem. Some sites use specialized machines called data loggers, which Feazel maintains. Other sites use Ecology’s own air sensor device called the SensWA, which requires Bush to write a computer script to get the data.

“Each day is interesting. No two days are the same. That’s the fun of it,” says Feazel.

Nimble, creative thinking is key because this data directly informs Ecology’s Washington Air Quality Map and EPA’s AirNow and Fire and Smoke websites. Many people use these maps to track air quality and make decisions about their health in near-real-time, which means Bush and Feazel must quickly find, diagnose, and solve any data transmission issues to keep these critical tools reporting the very latest information.

Helped along by their local, federal, and Tribal air monitoring partners, there's no telecommunication issue the data detectives on the Telemetry Team can't solve.

The Calibration and Repair Team

What would MacGyver do if faced with a technical malfunction threatening the health of the environment? Much like the team in Ecology’s Calibration and Repair Lab, he would probably call on his superb engineering skills, expert knowledge, and ability to think quickly on his feet.

When an air monitoring site operator runs into a problem they can’t solve in the field, the Calibration and Repair team is ready to help. This team of problem solvers — John Wolbert, Wes Davis, Nate May, Kelsey Sanford — use these skills every day as the technical support team for all air pollution monitors and meteorological equipment within our network.

“They have a unique and highly specialized skillset and knowledge of pneumatics and electronics to make our monitors and equipment work, even when a problem appears unsolvable,” says Technical Services Section Manager Sean Lundblad.

As the title implies, Calibration and Repair Specialists John Wolbert and Wes Davis calibrate, repair, maintain, and support over a dozen types of unique air monitors that measure ultra fine and fine particle pollution (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀) and gaseous air pollutants, such as ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide.

High Resolution Monitoring Lead Scientist Nate May and Senior Air Monitoring Specialist Kelsey Sanford lead the charge in Ecology’s air sensor lab. They design and build Ecology’s SensWA devices, test them, and repair those that eventually stop working.

Ecology built the SensWA to provide real-time air quality information about PM_2.5 — inhalable particles that are smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter — to be more portable than other air monitoring devices and to be modular for easier repair. Unlike commercial air sensors, if a SensWA fails, individual parts can be easily replaced. And since we own the data, we have built a robust quality control process ensuring that the data is accurate and reliable.

We’ve expanded our air monitoring network considerably with SensWA, especially in overburdened communities highly impacted by criteria air pollution. Over the last three years, May and Sanford have deployed over 63 SensWA devices that are reporting PM_2.5 data to the public.

The Calibration and Repair team might not reach for a Swiss army knife, a roll of duct tape, or a wad of chewing gum as much as MacGyver did, but as long as they can get the right parts, they can get anything working again.

The Quality Assurance Team

Who forms the last line of defense against unacceptable air quality data? Ecology’s Quality Assurance (QA) Team!

Quality Assurance Coordinator Chris Atherly and Quality Assurance Specialists Sarah Clouse, Cameron Richards, and Niko Mendes staunchly guard our air monitoring data so it can be used with confidence. When something slips through the cracks, this team will catch it.

“The most exciting moments are when you get to put on your detective cap and notice that something is wrong, and you start unraveling that thread. When you get to identify issues and fix them, it’s fun and rewarding,” says Atherly.

The QA team uses its own set of air monitoring equipment to independently audit the accuracy of air monitors throughout the state network. Each day is different. One day, they may be driving across the state to audit monitors in eastern Washington. The next day, they may be in the Quality Assurance Lab preparing audit equipment for others to use.

As part of final data validation, the QA team reviews hundreds of thousands of data points from over 100 air monitors across the state to ensure data are accurate and reliable, and can serve as the foundation for program decision-making. This review can sometimes reveal some interesting causes for “bad” data, such as a family of spiders moving into an air monitoring device and being mistaken for particle pollution.

In addition to regularly-scheduled audits required by EPA, sometimes it’s necessary to conduct a special audit when there is a serious question about data integrity. One time, the team found that an anemometer (an ultrasonic sensor that measures wind direction and speed) was misaligned, obscuring the true direction that the wind (and thus pollution) was coming from.

When asked what superhero or fictional character the QA team might resemble, Atherly pauses to think it over. “We're detectives, but we work independently from the site operations. Our primary responsibility is to the public. We travel around in our own vehicles and have our own cool set of gadgets. I think we’re like Batman,” he says.

You, too, can be an air quality superhero

Here are a few things you can do to protect air quality and your health this week and year-round.

• Check air quality in your community at any time on the Washington Air Quality Map.
• Get to know the Air Quality Index, including what the colors mean and what pollution types are monitored.
• Start teaching the next generation about the importance of air quality with a fun air quality activity book. Find it under “Activities for kids."