49ers-Cardinals game played through "unhealthy" air quality, Twitter responds

Randi MannDigital Reporter

The San Francisco 49ers hosted the Arizona Cardinals amid air quality that is rated "unhealthy."

The kick-off went on as scheduled. The San Francisco 49ers hosted the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, September 13. The game was held at the Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, where the Air Quality Index (AQI) registered the air at 161, or "unhealthy."

The official health recommendation on IQA's website says to wear a mask (#check), close your windows, and avoid outdoor exercise.

The way the AQI measures air quality on a scale from 0 to 301+ or higher. Anything under 100 is considered okay, anything above 100 is considered dangerous.

If the number just surpasses 100 then it's only the vulnerable populations that need to take action, as it goes higher, the broader population needs to also take precautions.

There are five major pollutants that are regulated by the Clean Air Act; ground-level ozone, particle pollution, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. Right now, it's the particle pollution (specifically it's PM2.5) that is creating poor air quality in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The pollution is being caused by the California wildfires.

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According to the NFL, games are only postponed if the AQI is 200 or greater. So with the air vulnerably oscillating in the mid-to-high 100s, the NFL made the call on behalf of all of the players' lungs, the show must go on.

Though we always like to maintain neutral reporting and provide well-sourced facts, sometimes it's nice to pass an article to Twitter:

Thumbnail courtesy of @LevisStadium