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Is the air you're breathing safe? In Oregon, there is an app for that

Emojis on the app make it easy to understand. A green smiley face means the air quality is good. A frowning face means unhealthy. And a "meh" face means the air quality is moderate.

This story was first published March 20, 2018.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Want to know the quality of the air you're breathing? In Oregon, there is now an app for that.

The Department of Environmental Quality recently overhauled its air quality index. Not only does the new and improved index give you reliable real-time information, it also lets you go back in time to see what the air quality was in the past.

In addition, users are able to check out how high some specific pollutants, like carbon monoxide, are in certain areas.

But the biggest change is that you can now access all this information where ever you are.

"The biggest thing is that it’s getting to everybody's cellphone…everybody has their phones in their hand every single day and now they can click on that app and see what the air quality is," said Brian Boling with DEQ.

Emojis on the app make it easy to understand. A green smiley face means the air quality is good. A frowning face means unhealthy. And a "meh" face means the air quality is moderate.

You’ll find the free mobile app in your app store under OregonAir. You can view the desktop interactive map here.

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