Tableau Dashboard: The State of our Air

As our climate changes, wildfires are becoming increasingly common. PM2.5 or particulate matter which is less than 2.5 µm in diameter is one of the main constituents of wildfire smoke and is the main cause of reduced visibility (haze). Wildfire smoke however, is not the only source of PM2.5. Any sort of combustion and burning can produce the air pollutant, PM2.5. More the concentration of PM2.5 in the air, worse the air quality. Due to its small size, PM2.5 can be inhaled, could get deposited deep within the lungs and may even enter the circulation. It could then cause serious, adverse effects on the cardiovascular system. People with existing cardiovascular diseases, children, pregnant women, older adults, outdoor workers and people of lower socio- economic status are particularly vulnerable.

Pick a year and state to see the average PM2.5 concentration in each state that year, how the concentration varied over the months in a year (seasonality) and how many good and bad air quality days were experienced by each state in each year.

Note: The dataset used did not have air quality data for the entire year (365/ 366 days) for the following year and state combinations.

2018 Nebraska, 2018 North Dakota, 2018 Puerto Rico, 2018 Virgin Islands, 2018 West Virginia, 2019 Massachusetts, 2019 Nebraska, 2019 Puerto Rico, 2019 Virgin Islands, 2019 West Virginia, 2020 Maryland, 2020 Puerto Rico, 2020 Virgin Islands, 2020 West Virginia, 2021 Puerto Rico, 2021 Virgin Islands, 2022 Delaware, 2022 Puerto Rico, 2022 Virgin Islands

Data source: US Environmental Protection Agency. Air Quality System Data Mart [internet database] available via https://www.epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data. Accessed June 14, 2023.