NEA said the health impact of haze depends on a person’s health status, the PSI level, and the length and intensity of outdoor activity.
For immediate outdoor activities, people should refer to the 1-hour PM2.5 readings and corresponding personal guide, while the 24-hour PSI forecast and health advisories should be used when planning outdoor activities for the next day.
The 24-hour PSI is Singapore’s indicator of daily air quality and forms the basis of NEA’s daily health advisories. It is calculated using six air pollutants – PM2.5, PM10, ozone, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide – and reflects the average air quality of the past 24 hours.
The 1-hour PM2.5 reading, on the other hand, is the hourly average of the PM2.5 pollutant levels. PM2.5 is fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or shorter, and is the dominant pollutant during haze that causes harm to health.
A 24-hour PSI reading is considered “unhealthy” when it is in the 101 to 200 range, “very unhealthy” when it is within the 201-300 range, and “hazardous” when it goes over 300.
The hourly PM2.5 reading is classified in four bands: normal, elevated, high and very high. It is considered elevated when it ranges from 56 to 150. The “high” band ranges from 151 to 250, and readings above that are classified as “very high”.