Google is adding air quality data to its Nest Hub sensible shows. While the brand new function remains to be solely accessible in “select” US markets, it’ll give some customers an thought of how a lot danger they may face from smoke and air pollution within the space.

Google says it would roll out the brand new function “over the coming weeks.” An Air Quality Index badge will present up on the clock and climate widget on the Nest Hub’s Ambient display screen. Anyone who doesn’t wish to see the badge will have the ability to decide out.

The knowledge comes from the Environmental Protection Agency, which rates air quality on a scale from zero to 500, with zero being one of the best air high quality. It additionally color-codes its rankings in classes starting from “good” to “hazardous” air high quality.

The EPA calculates danger by assessing 5 main pollution: carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, smog, and particle air pollution (which incorporates soot and smoke). Smoke from raging wildfires within the Western US has unfold throughout the nation over the previous month. New York state issued a well being advisory in July when smoke arrived from the Bootleg Fire in Oregon, 1000’s of miles away.

Image: EPA

In locations the place Google’s new air high quality function is on the market, Nest Hubs will difficulty an alert when air pollution reaches an unhealthy stage or a stage that’s unhealthy for “sensitive groups.” The Nest Hub can even reply to the voice command, “What’s the air quality near me?”

The EPA’s air high quality knowledge is simple to entry even should you don’t have a Nest Hub, or if its new options aren’t accessible in your space. The EPA’s AirNow website lets customers plug of their location to get an air high quality score for that space. There’s additionally the EPA’s Fire and Smoke Map, which has fairly wild visualizations of how far wildfire smoke reaches.

While the EPA has a community of 1000’s of air high quality sensors throughout the nation, it doesn’t at all times decide up the whole lot. The sensors are costly to deploy and could be unfold far aside from one another, to allow them to miss larger concentrations of air pollution in some areas. Its displays have additionally missed “major toxic releases” previously when gear failed or was out of operation, a Reuters investigation discovered.