Athletic directors are well versed in NCAA guidance for lightning and heat, but air quality is another important consideration for outdoor athletic safety. Wildfire smoke, ozone and particulate pollution can create unhealthy conditions for athletes, coaches, officials and spectators. Understanding air quality metrics and establishing clear thresholds can help athletic departments make more informed game-day decisions.
Unlike lightning, which has a specific NCAA suspension-of-play policy, air-quality decisions are generally based on recommended thresholds and the specific conditions affecting the athletes and activity. For heat, wet bulb globe temperature is commonly used to assess heat stress and guide athletic activity modifications. For air quality, athletic departments can use AQI thresholds to help guide decisions about outdoor activity. The following thresholds were issued by the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports
| AQI | Recommendations |
|---|---|
| 100 or Higher | Monitor sensitive student-athletes; consider removing high-risk individuals from outdoor exertion |
| 150 or Higher | Shorten outdoor activities and lower exertion intensity; move sensitive athletes indoors |
| 200 or Higher | Seriously consider rescheduling events, moving indoors, or avoiding prolonged heavy exertion altogether |
| 300 or Higher |
Cancel outdoor activities or move them indoors if possible |
Athletes may face greater exposure because exercise increases breathing rate and can lead to more mouth breathing, allowing pollutants to reach deeper into the respiratory system. Exposure to poor air quality can reduce lung capacity, cause early fatigue, affect cognitive performance, and produce throat irritation. But the risk is not limited to student-athletes. Coaches, officials, athletic trainers, staff and spectators can also be exposed during prolonged outdoor events.
Air Quality Index (AQI) is a scale from 0-500 used to report how clean or polluted air is and what health effects may be a concern. There are five major pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act that all have a national air quality standard set and include the following:
Ozone levels increase on hot summer days due to chemical reactions between nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds found in vehicle fuel, chemical solvents, and discharge from industrial plants. Particle pollution, or particulate matter, can increase dramatically during wildfire smoke events. Smoke does not have to originate nearby. Wildfires hundreds of miles away can affect local air quality when smoke is transported by prevailing winds.
While AQI provides a useful way to communicate overall air quality, athletic departments may also benefit from monitoring individual pollutants, particularly PM2.5 during wildfire smoke events. PM2.5 refers to fine particulate matter small enough to penetrate deep into the respiratory system. Understanding the difference between AQI and PM2.5 can help athletic departments interpret air-quality conditions more effectively.
Athletic departments should use four considerations for using AQI on game days:
Establish thresholds for deciding whether outdoor activities can continue.
Monitor conditions before and during the event.
Define who has the authority to modify or postpone activities.
Document all conditions and decisions.
These steps create a consistent process for making timely decisions that protect athletes, staff, officials and spectators.
Just like with other weather events, air quality should be incorporated into an athletic department's broader weather safety plan. The following steps can help incorporate air quality into existing weather safety plans:
Using on-site monitoring for air quality provides objective, real-time data to support decisions to delay or move an event. Automated alerts for different air quality thresholds can provide timely guidance when conditions reach predetermined levels. Combining air-quality measurements with other weather variables gives athletic departments a more complete picture of environmental hazards affecting outdoor events. This includes air quality, extreme heat, strong winds, heavy rain, and even lightning.
Continuous monitoring also creates a record of conditions that can be reviewed after an event, helping athletic departments document the environmental conditions associated with operational decisions.
Athletic departments should do the following:
Ready to add real-time air quality monitoring to your athletic safety plan? Talk with Weatherstem about monitoring conditions at your facilities.
The NCAA provides guidance related to environmental conditions affecting athletic participation, but air-quality decisions are generally based on recommended AQI thresholds and the specific conditions affecting athletes and activities. Athletic departments should establish clear air-quality procedures as part of their broader safety plans.
There is not one universal AQI value that automatically determines whether every athletic event should be canceled. Athletic departments should establish thresholds based on the activity, duration, athlete population and applicable guidance. Higher AQI levels may warrant modifying, postponing or moving outdoor activities indoors.
Yes. PM2.5 is particularly important during wildfire smoke events because fine particles can penetrate deep into the respiratory system. Monitoring PM2.5 alongside AQI can give athletic departments additional information when evaluating outdoor conditions.