Free AQI to Cigarette Calculator

Use this AQI to Cigarettes Calculator to see how many cigarettes your daily air pollution equals, based on U.S. AQI and PM2.5 levels.

Your exposure

0 500
1h 72h
Estimated PM2.5

0 g/m³

Derived from AQI using EPA breakpoints.

Cigarette equivalent

0

≈ 0 packs

Notes
  • This tool uses U.S. EPA PM2.5 AQI breakpoints (0–500 AQI).
  • Rule-of-thumb conversion: 22 μg/m³ over 24 hours 1 cigarette.
  • Estimates only; individual risk varies. For health advice, consult official guidance.

What Is an AQI to Cigarettes Calculator?

An AQI to Cigarettes Calculator is a tool that translates air quality into an equivalent number of cigarettes, making pollution risks more tangible. In practice, it takes your local Air Quality Index (AQI) and the number of hours exposed, and computes the health impact in “cigarette equivalents”.

Essentially, it converts AQI back to PM.₅ concentration using EPA formulas (like the AirNow converter) and then uses research findings to equate that PM₂.₅ level to cigarettes.

AQI to Cigarettes Calculator showing air pollution equivalent to smoking

For example, one developer explains the calculation steps: first convert AQI to PM.₅, then use the rule that 22 µg/m³ per day ≈ 1 cigarette, and finally factor in exposure hours.

A global study applied this concept city-by-city: it used Berkeley Earth’s rule (22 µg/m³ = 1 cigarette) to estimate how many cigarettes’ worth of smoke people “inhale” from pollution each year. The chart above shows the top 20 cities by annual cigarette-equivalent exposure.

What Is AQI?

The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a standardized scale (0–500) that reports how clean or polluted the air is, based on pollutant concentrations and associated health risks. It aggregates measurements of key pollutants (PM₂.₅, PM₁₀, CO, SO₂, NO₂, O₃) and assigns the highest sub-index as the overall AQI. By design, the higher the AQI value, the worse the air quality and the greater the health concern.

AQI Range Air Quality Level Color Code Health Impact
0–50 Good Green Air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no health risk
51–100 Moderate Yellow Acceptable air quality; minor risk for sensitive people
101–150 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups Orange Children, elderly, and people with asthma may experience effects
151–200 Unhealthy Red Everyone may begin to experience health effects
201+ Very Unhealthy / Hazardous Purple / Maroon Serious health effects; emergency conditions

How This AQI to Cigarette Calculator Works

This tool helps you understand the health impact of air pollution by converting AQI (Air Quality Index) into PM2.5 concentration and then estimating the number of cigarettes that exposure is approximately equivalent to.

Step 1: AQI to PM2.5 Conversion

AQI is converted into PM2.5 (µg/m³) using the US EPA standard linear interpolation method.

AQI to PM2.5 Formula

PM 2.5 = ( AQI − I l ) × ( C h − C l ) ( I h − I l ) + C l

What These Values Mean

  • AQI – Air Quality Index entered by the user
  • Il, Ih – Lower and upper AQI breakpoints
  • Cl, Ch – Corresponding PM2.5 range in µg/m³

AQI to PM2.5 Breakpoints

AQI Range PM2.5 Range (g/m³)
0 – 50 0.0 – 9.0
51 – 100 9.1 – 35.4
101 – 150 35.5 – 55.4
151 – 200 55.5 125.4
201 – 300 125.5 – 225.4
301 – 500 225.5 – 325.4

Step 2: PM2.5 to Cigarette Equivalent

For awareness purposes, this calculator uses a commonly referenced comparison:

22 µg/m³ of PM2.5 exposure over 24 hours 1 cigarette

PM2.5 to Cigarette Formula

Cigarettes = PM 2.5 × ( Exposure Hours ÷ 24 ) 22

Exposure hours are included because breathing polluted air for fewer hours results in proportionally lower pollution intake.

Step 3: Cigarettes to Packs

To make the result easier to understand, the cigarette count is also converted into packs.

Cigarettes to Packs Formula

Packs = Cigarettes 20

Example Calculation

  • AQI: 100
  • Exposure Duration: 24 hours
  • PM2.5: 35.4 µg/m³
  • Cigarette Equivalent: 1.61 cigarettes
  • Packs: 0.08 packs

Disclaimer:This AQI to cigarette comparison is an approximation for awareness only. It does not mean you actually smoked cigarettes. Health effects vary depending on age, health condition, activity level, and duration of exposure.

Why This Matters

Long-term exposure to high PM2.5 levels increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and premature death. According to the State of Global Air Report, air pollution is one of the leading environmental risk factors worldwide. Similarly, The Lancet highlights the global mortality burden caused by fine particulate matter (PM2.5).

FAQs

How many cigarettes is AQI 150?

An AQI of 150 is roughly equal to smoking 6–7 cigarettes per day with full-day exposure.

How many cigarettes is AQI 200?

An AQI of 200 is approximately equal to 7–8 cigarettes per day of exposure.

Is this calculator suitable for non-smokers?

Yes. This calculator is useful for non-smokers as it helps explain the health impact of air pollution.

Does indoor air quality affect the result?

Yes. Cleaner indoor air can reduce actual exposure, but the calculator is generally based on outdoor AQI.

Is this tool free to use?

Yes. The AQI to Cigarettes Calculator is completely free to use.