Which of the following types of particulate matter pollutants are used in the calculation of the Air Quality Index (AQI)? (A) TSP (Total Suspended Particles) (B) PM 10 (Particulate matters of size 10 micron or less) (C) PM 2.5 (Particulate matter of size 2.5 micron or less) (D) PM 1 (Particulate matter of size 1 micron or less) Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Which of the following types of particulate matter pollutants are used in the calculation of the Air Quality Index (AQI)? (A) TSP (Total Suspended Particles) (B) PM 10 (Particulate matters of size 10 micron or less) (C) PM 2.5 (Particulate matter of size 2.5 micron or less) (D) PM 1 (Particulate matter of size 1 micron or less) Choose the correct answer from the options given below: Correct Answer (B) and (C) only

The air quality index (AQI) is an index for reporting air quality on a daily basis. It is a measure of how air pollution affects one's health within a short time period. The purpose of the AQI is to help people know how the local air quality impacts their health.

• AQI is the air quality index; it gives you the index value that what is the current pollution status in the city, how polluted the air currently is.
• Different levels of AQI symbolizes different things like prolonged exposure to ‘poor’ AQI, individuals might witness breathing problems, says Shambhavi Shukla, Senior Research Associate at Centre for Science and Environment.
• Eight pollutants namely particulate matter (PM) 10, PM 2.5, Ozone (O₃), Sulphur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), lead (Pb), and ammonia (NH₃) act as major parameters in deriving the AQI of an area.
• Short-term (up to 24-hours and 8-hours for CO and O3) National Ambient Air Quality Standards are prescribed for these pollutants.
• PM 10 gets filtered at the top of your respiratory system that is the nose.
• PM 2.5 is the most hazardous of all. 
• 70-80 percent of the health issues are caused by PM 2.5 only as it crosses the body’s natural barriers, and enters the lungs.
• Ozone is the second most dangerous parameter as it aggravates lung diseases such as asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis, IIT Kanpur Scientist and Professor, Sachchida Nand Tripathi.
• Other gases lead to cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and pulmonary diseases such as asthma. The problem is, air pollution masks and purifiers currently we have, do not protect you from gases. The only way to evade these gases is to control their sources.
• As per CPCB’s (Central Pollution Control Board) air quality standards, AQI is categorized into six parts. AQI between 0-50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’, and between 401-500 ‘severe’.
• As the AQI value increases, health impacts become serious. For instance, while under satisfactory AQI, sensitive people might witness minor breathing discomfort, severe AQI may cause respiratory impact even on healthy people, and serious health issue in people with existing respiratory issues.

Thus, option 3 is the correct answer.