Firozabad Air Quality Index (AQI) & Air Pollution Today

Uttar Pradesh, India — Real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) and PM2.5

Firozabad AQI Right Now

107

Category: Moderate

Dominant Pollutant: pm10

PM2.5: 45.39 µg/m³

PM10: 109.27 µg/m³

Last updated: 2026-03-24 — Data source: Google Air Quality API (NAQI). Live NAQI values load when you visit the page.

Firozabad Pollutant Levels

PollutantConcentration
PM2.545.39 µg/m³
PM10109.27 µg/m³
O₃ (Ozone)0.17 µg/m³
NO₂6.5 µg/m³
SO₂0 µg/m³
CO235.78 µg/m³

Health Advisory — Firozabad

Moderate: Breathing discomfort to people with lungs, asthma and heart diseases.

Health Impact — Firozabad

Cigarette Equivalent: Breathing this air is equivalent to smoking 2.1 cigarettes per day (based on current PM2.5 levels).

Life Expectancy Impact: Sustained exposure at this PM2.5 level could reduce life expectancy by 0.23 years (AQLI estimate, relative to WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³).

Health Recommendations for Firozabad

  • General Population: People with respiratory or heart conditions should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.
  • Elderly: Reduce prolonged outdoor activities.
  • Children: Reduce prolonged outdoor play.
  • Lung Disease Patients: Avoid prolonged outdoor exertion.

Understanding Firozabad Air Quality

Firozabad, known as India's Glass City or Suhag Nagri (City of Good Fortune), is home to one of the world's most concentrated cottage glass industries. Thousands of small and medium glass furnaces - many located in narrow residential lanes of Mohalla Nagla Seth, Rasoolpur, and surrounding areas - operate almost continuously, burning coal, natural gas, and even waste materials to melt glass for bangles, decorative items, and laboratory glassware. These furnaces emit a toxic cocktail of fine silica dust, heavy metals (lead, cadmium from coloured glass), SO2, CO, and ultrafine particulates that give Firozabad one of India's most unusual pollution fingerprints.

The city's location in central Uttar Pradesh on the flat Gangetic plain near Agra means its pollution disperses poorly, especially in winter (October–January). Cold-season temperature inversions trap furnace emissions at ground level, and the dense concentration of glass units means there is virtually no buffer zone between industrial and residential areas. PM2.5 levels during December–January can exceed 200 µg/m³ even in the absence of external sources like stubble burning, purely from the glass industry itself. The health toll - particularly silicosis and respiratory disease among furnace workers, including children in family-run units - has been well documented by public health researchers.

Post-monsoon October marks the beginning of deterioration as furnaces ramp up production ahead of the wedding season (peak bangle demand). The monsoon months (July–September) offer the best air quality as rains suppress dust and many small units reduce operations during the wet season.

Primary Pollution Sources

  • Glass bangle industry furnace emissions
  • Vehicle exhaust
  • Road dust
  • Industrial waste burning
  • Brick kilns
  • Domestic biomass burning

Geography: Central UP near Agra; India's Glass City (Suhag Nagri), thousands of glass furnaces creating unique toxic emissions profile

Peak pollution months: October, November, December, January

Frequently Asked Questions — Firozabad

How does the glass bangle industry affect Firozabad's air quality?

Firozabad's thousands of glass furnaces are the single largest source of air pollution in the city. They emit fine silica dust, heavy metals (lead and cadmium from coloured glass), SO2, and carbon monoxide. Unlike typical industrial cities where factories are in designated zones, Firozabad's glass units are embedded within residential neighbourhoods, exposing families to furnace fumes around the clock. Winter inversions further concentrate these emissions at ground level.

When is air quality best in Firozabad?

August and September, during and just after peak monsoon, offer the cleanest air with AQI typically in the Satisfactory range. Rainfall suppresses dust and many smaller glass units reduce operations during monsoon. Avoid October through January when wedding-season production peaks coincide with winter inversions.

Air Quality in Nearby Cities