LA Unified Know Your Air Network
Los Angeles Unified has partnered with the Coalition for Clean Air and Clarity Movement Company to create a network of 200 air quality sensors. These sensors have been deployed at school sites and facilities throughout the entire 710 square-mile district to show local conditions† in real time. Every school in Los Angeles Unified has a network sensor nearby (within approximately 1.6 miles), allowing all schools to determine air quality by looking at the nearest sensors. For instruction on using the network, please view the "How-To" video below.
Why Create an Air Quality Monitoring Network?
The Know Your Air network provides schools and offices with important information used to protect the health and well-being of Los Angeles Unified’s 575,000 students and 74,000 teachers, administrators, and other employees. Parents, students, and others also have access to data from the network.
Los Angeles Unified has experienced an increase in the frequency and intensity of wildfires during the past several years. These wildfires have, at times, created unsafe air pollution levels at our schools. In addition, despite decades of progress, the Los Angeles region continues to have some of the worst air pollution in the country. Los Angeles Unified will use its air network during emergency events such as wildfires and poor air quality episodes to determine what actions need to be taken. The deployment of the network sensors throughout Los Angeles Unified will allow for better informed decisions for individual schools.
The Clarity Node-S model sensors measure fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air an average of once every 5-6 minutes.
For additional information, visit the Office of Environmental Health and Safety (OEHS) website or call OEHS at (213)241-3199.
LA Unified Know Your Air Network
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Los Angeles Unified has partnered with the Coalition for Clean Air and Clarity Movement Company to create a network of 200 air quality sensors. These sensors have been deployed at school sites and facilities throughout the entire 710 square-mile district to show local conditions† in real time. Every school in Los Angeles Unified has a network sensor nearby (within approximately 1.6 miles), allowing all schools to determine air quality by looking at the nearest sensors. For instruction on using the network, please view the "How-To" video below. |
Please follow the steps below to view the air quality information from the nearest sensors to your school or location
| Step #1 - | |
| Step #1 - | OR use the OpenMap seach bar in the map to search anywhere |
| Step #2 - | Click on the map markers to see details for specific sites |
| Step #3 - | For more site data, click "Show in Plot" when viewing details |
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Air Pollution Level
(AQI Range) |
Air Quality Description, Health Impacts, and Recommendations
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Good
(0-50) |
Air quality is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk
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Moderate
(51-100) |
Air quality is acceptable; however, usually sensitive people should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion
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Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
(101-150) |
The following groups should limit prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion: People with heart disease, pregnant women, children and older adults, people with lung disease, such as asthma
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Unhealthy
(151-200) |
Everyone may begin to experience some adverse health effects (e.g., difficulty breathing and throat irritation), and members of the sensitive groups may experience more serious effects. The following groups should avoid prolonged time outdoors: People with heart disease, pregnant women, children and older adults, people with lung disease, such as asthma
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Very Unhealthy
(201-300) |
This would generate a health alert suggesting that everyone may experience more serious health effects. The following groups should avoid all outdoor physical activity: People with heart disease, pregnant women, children and older adults, people with lung disease, such as asthma. Everyone else should avoid prolonged or heavy outdoor activity.
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Hazardous
(>301) |
This would trigger health warnings of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected. Everyone should avoid all physical activity outdoors.
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*Sensor located at nearby school. All school sites are within approximately 1.6 miles of a sensor. Nearest sensors should be representative of air quality conditions nearby.
†The network only provides data for fine particulate matter PM2.5, and does not include NO2 or Ozone.
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About the Network +
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Why Create an Air Quality Monitoring Network?
The Know Your Air network provides schools and offices with important information used to protect the health and well-being of Los Angeles Unified’s 575,000 students and 74,000 teachers, administrators, and other employees. Parents, students, and others also have access to data from the network.
Los Angeles Unified has experienced an increase in the frequency and intensity of wildfires during the past several years. These wildfires have, at times, created unsafe air pollution levels at our schools. In addition, despite decades of progress, the Los Angeles region continues to have some of the worst air pollution in the country. Los Angeles Unified will use its air network during emergency events such as wildfires and poor air quality episodes to determine what actions need to be taken. The deployment of the network sensors throughout Los Angeles Unified will allow for better informed decisions for individual schools.
The Clarity Node-S model sensors measure fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air an average of once every 5-6 minutes.
The Know Your Air Network includes 200 Clarity Node-S devices. The network is a “neighborhood scale” design, which outlines a uniform grid of 2.5 kilometer (~1.6 mile) squares. The sensors are deployed so that one is at or near every school within Los Angeles Unified.
For additional information, visit the Office of Environmental Health and Safety (OEHS) website or call OEHS at (213)241-3199.
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"How-To" Video +
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Admin Reference Guide +
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OEHS has created the Air Quality, Weather and Wildfire Advisory Procedures Reference Guide (REF-886.4) to establish procedures for the notification to schools and offices when an air quality, weather or other environmental advisory is issued.
For general information about this program, please refer to the Principal's Information Packet.
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Frequently Asked Questions +
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What do the air quality sensors measure and what don’t they measure?
The Los Angeles Unified Know Your Air Network consists of 200 Clarity Node-S devices that measure fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5 (i.e., the concentration of particles in the air with diameters of 2.5 microns or less). There are several types of air pollution, including greenhouse gases, smog (also known as ground-level ozone), smog precursors, and toxic air contaminants (also referred to as hazardous air pollutants). PM2.5 is one of many so-called “criteria air pollutants,” which mainly consist of smog precursors. The Los Angeles Unified sensors do not measure greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), toxic air contaminants, or non-PM2.5 criteria air pollutants, such as oxides of nitrogen (NOx) or sulfur dioxide (SO2).
What are the health problems associated with PM2.5 exposure?
Researchers have found that prolonged exposure to PM2.5 air pollution to be associated with a variety of adverse health impacts including aggravated asthma, decreased lung function, irritation of the airways, coughing, difficulty breathing, irregular heartbeat, heart attacks, and premature death for people with heart or lung disease.
Will a short-term spike in PM2.5 cause health problems?
Monitoring data can show short-term spikes of PM2.5 of a few minutes. Health-based PM2.5 air quality exposure standards consider exposure rates averaged over one hour to one year. Regulators have not established health-based standards for exposure periods of less than one hour. Those with pre-existing health conditions, the very young, and the elderly tend to be most vulnerable to the adverse health impacts of exposure to PM2.5. Air quality can change slowly or rapidly depending upon the weather, wind direction, time of day, inversion layer conditions, and other factors. Given the variability in air quality conditions, it is important to be aware but also prudent in how to respond in different situations. In general, it is important to minimize exposure to PM2.5 air pollution at all times, however, it is most important to take precautionary measures when PM2.5 levels are especially high and air quality regulators, such as the South Coast Air Quality Management District, have issued alerts.
What should I do if I see high readings?
If you notice high readings of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) or the Air Quality Index (AQI), please refer to the AQI guide above. Also refer to OEHS' Air Quality, Weather and Wildfire Advisory Procedures Reference Guide (REF-886.4). Note that, in response to high levels of air pollution, principals have the authority to restrict outdoor activities, but only the Superintendent has the authority to close a school.
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Additional Resources +
