It Wasn’t A Volcano Or A Wildfire: Chicago’s Air Quality Alert Mystery Solved

Mobile phones crossed Chicago connected Wednesday morning, April 23, warned their users of aerial value akin to sitting astatine nan ft of an erupting volcano aliases connected nan separator of a wildfire. It turned retired to beryllium overmuch little superior than a blaze successful Bronzeville.

Warnings showed aerial value readings of much than 400, which is described arsenic “hazardous” and perchance vulnerable for immoderate pinch sensitivities for illustration asthma. For scale, Google showed Lacey Township, New Jersey, had an AQI topping retired astir 195 connected Thursday afternoon, April 24, owed to nan Jones Road Fire burning there. 

Maps posted online show Chicago successful a circle of violet and magenta hues, surrounded by safer greenish shades crossed nan remainder of nan adjacent counties.

The alerts caused speculation connected societal media platforms astir pollution, fires and moreover an Indiana works detonation until readings fell backmost to safe levels later that day. 

Was it really that bad?

No.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s Bureau of Air monitors aerial value astir nan state. It submits its accusation to nan U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which showed nary signs of hazardous aerial value connected Wednesday. IEPA spokeswoman Kim Biggs told Straight Arrow News that “the Chicago area has continued to show bully aliases mean aerial quality.”

What happened?

Biggs checked pinch her national counterpart connected Wednesday and recovered that nan root of nan vulnerable aerial value readings was caused by a glitch successful a wide utilized monitoring service.

“The alerts were resulting from a commercialized aerial contamination sensor exertion integrated into Apple and Android platforms that was showing a very ample swath of Chicago arsenic having unhealthy aerial quality,” she said Thursday. “The information and resulting wellness informing messaging based connected this exertion were erroneous. We proceed to person assurance successful EPA’s AirNow website based connected information from reliable sources.”

AirNow didn’t bespeak immoderate aerial value issues Wednesday.

Google spokeswoman Abigail Jaffe confirmed nan rumor was a method glitch from a third-party service.

“We showed elevated aerial value successful Chicago yesterday owed to a third-party monitoring position inaccurately reporting precocious measurements — this accusation is now displaying correctly,” Jaffe told Straight Arrow News connected Thursday.

Google compiles its aerial value information from respective sources, including authorities monitoring stations, occurrence fume and particulate models, upwind patterns and moreover postulation information that would bespeak much exhaust pollution. Like Apple, Google besides uses 3rd parties for illustration PurpleAir and BreezoMeter.

The New York Times first reported connected nan glitch.