Two impact related air quality indices as tools to assess the daily and long-term air pollution

The methodology of the recently developed Daily Air Quality Index (DAQx) and Long-term Air Quality Index (LAQx) is explained. Both indices consider air pollutants frequently monitored at long-term stations within official air pollution control networks. Therefore, they enable an assessment of the integral air pollution, which reflects the ambient air consisting of a mixture of air pollutants more realistic. Both air quality indices are impact related with respect to people. On the basis of results of extensive investigations in environmental medicine and toxicology, they quantify the impacts of a mixture of air pollutants, which is typical of the ambient air, on well-being and health of people in the form of six index classes and ranges of index values, respectively. To analyse the sensitivity of DAQx and LAQx, air pollutant data for the period 1995-2003 were used. They originate from selected stations within the official air pollution monitoring network in the South-West of Germany, which are characterised by different emission conditions.