About AQI to Cigarettes Calculator

Why this site exists

AQI is useful only when it helps someone make a better decision. AQI to Cigarettes Calculator is an independent educational project that turns a PM2.5-related AQI reading into a cigarette-equivalent risk-communication estimate, then connects that estimate with practical planning tools.

The comparison is designed to make an abstract number easier to understand. It is not a claim that ambient air pollution and cigarette smoke are chemically identical, and it is not a personal medical diagnosis.

Who maintains it

The site is maintained by fann_hoo, an independent software developer. We do not claim that the site is operated by a medical provider, public-health agency, or team of environmental scientists.

Corrections are made through the published methodology, source reviews, calculation tests, and updates to the site. Questions and corrections can be sent to [email protected].

How the estimate works

1. A PM2.5 AQI is converted back to an estimated PM2.5 concentration using the current U.S. AQI breakpoint method.
2. The concentration and exposure duration are applied to Berkeley Earth's rough cigarette-equivalence framing.
3. The result is presented with limitations and action-oriented context.

The main technical references are:

• AirNow Technical Assistance Document for daily AQI reporting
• AirNow AQI Calculator
• Berkeley Earth: Air Pollution and Cigarette Equivalence (official source record)
• World Health Organization: Ambient Air Pollution and Health

Important limitations

• The conversion applies only when the AQI represents PM2.5. It must not be applied to an ozone-driven or other pollutant-specific AQI.
• The cigarette comparison is a population-level communication heuristic, not a literal count of cigarettes smoked or a measured personal dose.
• Actual exposure changes with breathing rate, activity, indoor infiltration, filtration, masks, and time spent in different places.
• Local public-health alerts and advice from qualified healthcare professionals take priority over this site.

Access, analytics, and advertising

The calculator does not require an account, and calculation inputs are processed in the browser. The website does use analytics and advertising services to understand usage and fund continued operation, including Adsterra when its ad units are configured.

Those third-party services may process technical information or use cookies according to their own policies. The current disclosures and browser-control options are described in the Privacy Policy.

Editorial commitment

We aim to keep the formulas, sources, limitations, and update dates visible. We do not publish invented usage numbers, testimonials, professional qualifications, or institutional endorsements. If a statement cannot be supported by a primary source or direct operational evidence, it should not be presented as fact.

For educational articles, that commitment means:

• specific statistics and action guidance link directly to the supporting official source or identifiable research;
• AQI systems, pollutants, units, locations, and data years are named rather than treated as interchangeable;
• calculator examples are checked against the same reviewed calculation logic used by the tools;
• an Updated date records a substantive source and content review, not a cosmetic freshness change; and
• no article is described as medically reviewed unless a qualified reviewer actually participated and can be identified.

Disclaimer

This calculator is for educational risk communication. It is not medical advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat, or predict an individual's health outcome.