Air Quality Health Index

The Air Quality Health Index : What are you breathing today?

Did you know?

• Your current health status determines how air pollution will affect you.
• People with breathing problems or heart disease are more likely to experience health effects from air pollution than people without these conditions.
• Short-term exposure to air pollution can trigger or aggravate existing health conditions, especially in people with breathing and heart problems.

What is the Air Quality Health Index?

• The Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) is an information tool to help protect you from the health effects of air pollution
• The AQHI is a scale from 1 to 10+ designed to help you understand what the air quality around you means to your health. The higher the rating on the scale, the more polluted the air is and the greater the health risk.





• The AQHI is calculated hourly and is currently available for people living in the urban areas of Montréal Island, Gatineau and Québec.


• If you are sensitive to air pollution, the AQHI can help you by:
• Providing forecasts so you can plan when to schedule outdoor activities,
• Providing health tips to protect you from air pollution; and
• Reminding you to bring your medication with you when you leave home.

How can you find out the AQHI values?

• There are three free ways you can find out what the AQHI is in your community, in English or in French :


1. A toll-free phone line 1 866 688-3810 is available 24 hours, 7 days a week. Call anytime to find out the current AQHI value and the associated health tips.
2. A free phone alert service allows you to receive telephone advice when poor air quality has the potential to affect your health.

By receiving telephone alerts during episodes of poor air quality and following the recommendations for that day's Air Quality Health Index, subscribers can plan their activities to better protect themselves from the short-term health effects of air pollution and, if necessary, adjust their medication.

You can sign up for this service over the phone by calling 1 866 688-3810. Signing up takes less than five minutes.

3. A website www.coteairsante.qc.ca provides the current and forecasted AQHI values.

   You will also find details on the phone alert service, and general advice to help protect you from the short-term health effects of air pollution.

These services are free and available in French and English for residents of the following urban centers: Island of Montreal, Gatineau-Ottawa, and Québec City.

Health Professionals: How to educate your patients about the Air Quality Health Index

Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS) has produced promotional material on the Air Quality Health Index and its services to people who are vulnerable to air pollution, notably those suffering from respiratory or heart problems. An electronic version of the leaflet is available on the MSSS website.

You can help disseminate this information to vulnerable persons by ordering free copies of the leaflet to give to your patients. Contact us at diffusion@msss.gouv.qc.ca, providing your return address and the number of copies you want in French and/or English.