Web Alerts for Asthma

By SHELLY BANJOJuly 27, 2008

Summer can be the worst season for asthma and allergy sufferers, especially when trying to enjoy a beach vacation or mountain hike.
But a few Web sites aim to monitor and forecast air quality and alert you on particular days to avoid spending too much time outside. The results are based on a standardized indicator called the Air Quality Index (AQI) that measures major air pollutants such as ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.
The index ranges from 0 to 500 -- the higher the AQI value, the greater the health concern. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, an AQI value over 300 represents hazardous air quality.
The EPA's Airnow.gov allows users to see a national and international forecast on how clean or polluted the air is, associated health effects and special advisories.
At Azma.com, operated by medical-data company Surveillance Data, asthma sufferers can enter their Zip Code to see a forecast for the allergy and air-quality levels for up to four days. You can also sign up for asthma alerts by email on the days that your asthma index level is above low.
For pollen and mold counts view Azma.com's sister Web site Pollen.com, which provides similar Zip Code based data, or the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology's National Allergy Bureau's daily count at aaaai.org/nab.
Write to Shelly Banjo at shelly.banjo@wsj.com