Detroit entrepreneur's new app JustAir tracks air quality, sends updates with health advice

(FOX 2) - Wildfire smoke moving into your area? There's an app for that.

It's called JustAir and is a local entrepreneur's solution for those worried about the air quality in their area. But if one asks founder Darren Riley, it's part of a larger mission to equip residents with a way of protecting their own health while gaining a better understanding of the environmental conditions in their area.

"The essence is a lot of community members are talking about issues and health," he said. "This provides and allows info to spread and gives people a voice, which allows them to be heard and have data for action."

Those who signed up for JustAir earlier this year got a peek into what the new tool adds to their tool belt.

When wildfire smoke enveloped Metro Detroit and turned the sky hazy orange, those subscribed to JustAir got a text telling them an air monitor in their area was registering as Unhealthy.

"We recommend staying indoors until air quality improves and people with breathing-related health issues should consider wearing a mask if they must be outside," read one text. Hours later, another text came in when monitors said the air had improved to healthy levels.

"Be sure to take some time to go outside and enjoy the fresh air!"

While Detroit hasn't seen a summer of poor air quality quite like its experience this summer, the smoke is a symptom of wildfires that are only expected to grow more extreme. With it will come threats of worse air quality from increasing levels of ozone and particulate matter.

There are ways of tracking air quality, with websites like iqair.com that provide both a weather forecast and air quality metric. There are also ways of mitigating the worse effects of poor air quality, with mask wearing and avoiding the outdoors during those periods. 

RELATED: Those with health issues adversely affected by wildfire smoke 

Riley's goal with his JustAir app is to provide all of that and more to those that need it most.

"Our whole goal is for everyone to have access to this info," he said. 

JustAir was founded in 2021 when air quality monitors were deployed in Grand Rapids. Riley, who has asthma himself was in Detroit when he noticed a gap in data when information on health disparities took center stage during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Certain kids from certain neighborhoods on certain days were ending up in emergency rooms - though it wasn't clear why. A light bulb went off in Riley's head. 

"There's a need for this. We were thinking about a creative opportunity for a system to let kids know they are at risk in a certain area," he said. "They need information to know they're at risk."

After a successful pilot in Grand Rapids, monitors feeding the JustAir app have grown to Detroit and Kalamazoo.

While the mission is to make the information as accessible as possible, there are myriad challenges to that goal. There are language barriers in some communities. And getting the word out can be tricky for groups who don't have easy-to-use technology. 

Riley says the best way to overcome those hurdles is working with the local organizations that represent neighborhoods. JustAir will install the monitors in places where it's most-needed - spots with heavy truck traffic or neighborhoods near big industry.

While the smoke was a specific event, it's the day-to-day air quality updates that Riley hopes will benefit people the most. The shift in thinking represents a more modern approach to dealing with health disparities and addressing themes of environmental racism that are prevalent in the spots Riley hopes to help the most.

"These wildfire events highlight the importance of air quality and how we think about hazardous things in our environment," he said. "We want to get that into people's everyday thinking. Not just when a fire happens, but when someone's kid is playing soccer. 

"Think about the water we drink, the food we eat, and the air we breathe. Those are the essentials in life. We take 20,000 breaths a day. We want to be intentional about that."

If you'd like to sign up for JustAir's alerts, email justair@detroit.com or go to the website here.