Israeli company allows you to check the air quality anywhere

Yet, because air pollution is invisible, most people have no idea that the air they're breathing is compromising their health. This is quickly beginning to change. The pandemic jump-started people’s awareness of airborne toxins' effects on their respiratory health. Now, nearly one-fifth (19.1%) of people say they need air filtration systems to feel comfortable working in an environment where they were regularly interacting with other people according to Prosper Insights & Analytics, August 2021 Monthly Consumer Survey.

Wildfires have also resulted in heightened awareness of air quality. As fires ravage the west coast, the Northeastern United States is experiencing the worst air quality it has seen in over 10 years in response to smoke from wildfires more than 3,000 miles away.

All of this is driving a growing trend toward regularly—and even compulsively—checking local air quality. According to Ran Korber, CEO and Co-Founder of BreezoMeter, it won’t be too long until people are checking their air quality as frequently, and easily, as they check for rain, snow, and sunshine. And they’ll use the information they see to make everyday decisions, such as whether to go for a run or hike, as well as major life decisions, such as where to live.

Korber founded climate tech company BreezoMeter in 2012, when his wife was pregnant with their first child and they were looking for a home in northern Israel. An environmental engineer, he was conscious of the air quality in the towns they were considering since his wife is asthmatic and long-term exposure to air pollution could jeopardize her—and their daughter’s—well-being.

When he asked his colleagues at the environmental protection agency where the cleanest place to live in northern Israel was, he was surprised to learn that they didn’t know the answer either. He would soon discover that there was nothing available to precisely map and quantify air pollution levels down to street level. This wasn’t just an issue in Israel; millions of people around the world also lacked information about the air they were breathing. So, he decided to team up with his long-time best friend and software engineer, Emil Fisher, to create a solution.

Today, Breezometer not only powers the air quality data in the Apple Weather app; it delivers micro-local air quality, pollen, pollutants, and fire data to consumers through connected devices in 100+ countries.

I sat down with Korber to talk about how awareness of air quality has the potential to improve the health of millions.

Gary Drenik: Why was Covid-19 the impetus for so many people to become conscious of air quality data?

Ran Korber: Air pollution is the single largest environmental health crisis we have today — it ​​kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year. But most people tend to think about it as affecting “other people, not me.”

When Covid-19 hit, no one really understood what was happening or how it would affect them. (In fact, according to a recent survey from Prosper Insights & Analytics, nearly one-third (32.1%) of people were still extremely concerned about Covid-19 as recently as August 2021.)

Multiple studies identified links between exposure to hazardous air pollutants and increased Covid-19 death rates. Suddenly, people became aware of how airborne toxins could negatively affect their health. And because Covid-19 was everywhere, they were no longer able to write off air quality as something that only other people had to be aware of.

There’s also been a steady increase of news coverage on air pollution and environmental hazards over the past three years. We’ve seen internet searches related to air quality increase by 4,000%. Searches for “air pollution” specifically have increased by 7,000%.

Unlike the weather, you can’t just look out the window and make an educated guess about air quality. You can’t feel, smell, or see air pollution, which makes it extremely hard to understand—and avoid.

Drenik: There are a number of websites and applications that share air quality levels. What is different about how BreezoMeter tracks air quality?

Korber: There’s currently an information gap when it comes to air quality data. Traditional solutions, such as local governmental sensors, don’t cover enough areas or pollutants. Approximately 120 million Americans live in counties that don’t have EPA pollution monitors that can detect small particle pollutants such as the extremely toxic PM2.5 carried by wildfire smoke.

Air pollution is also extremely dynamic — it fluctuates on an hourly basis and can vary from street to street. So, it’s important that air quality data is hyper local and real-time. A sensor 20 miles away that only updates once an hour and can’t detect the most harmful pollutants just isn’t going to cut it. When it comes to the air you breathe, you can’t afford to get it wrong.

Our competitive advantage is that we’re able to solve all of these problems.

We use AI and machine learning to collect real-time data from multiple sources — including more than 47,000 sensors worldwide, live traffic information, meteorological data and satellites that track weather, fire, and sandstorm events. Our platform detects 17 species of pollen and 34 different pollutants, allowing us to forecast air pollution up to 96 hours and allergens three days ahead of time.

All of this lets us deliver the most accurate information to consumers within 5 meters of their current location.

Drenik: How are companies using environmental data in their products? What is the potential for this intelligence?

Korber: Our environmental intelligence currently powers features in more than 100 smart products and apps by companies including AstraZeneca, Bosch, Dyson, Verizon Media, and L'Oréal. These companies can deliver everyday lifestyle recommendations to consumers to improve their health and help them avoid environmental hazards.

AstraZeneca, for instance, is using BreezoMeter’s hyper-local air quality data to measure the effects of environmental factors on patients and make personalized care recommendations specific to their personal conditions and triggers.

Brands are increasingly looking to understand, forecast and execute business strategies based on the effects of weather and climate change on consumer demand, sentiment and needs. We’ll see this reliance on environmental intelligence continue to grow, especially over the next few years.

Drenik: You recently announced the close of your Series C funding round to fuel the development of new products. Can you tell us a bit more about what’s on the horizon?

Korber: We recently released our new wildfire tracking technology that helps users to see exactly where a specific fire is at any moment, its distance and direction from their location, and its effects on the air quality around it. The severity of the wildfire season this year is linked to climate change, which also impacts so much more of people’s health. We’re providing a more holistic point of view of how people are affected by climate change and we offer an immediate solution so they can make the necessary decisions to be healthier.

Our mission at BreezoMeter is to improve the health and quality of life for billions of people worldwide, by providing accurate and actionable environmental data and insights. We’ll continue to support this mission with new products and by increasing our forecasting capabilities in the future by incorporating earthquake predictions, and information on local water, radiation and more.

Drenik: The launch of BreezoMeter’s Live Wildfire Tracker and their expansion of live air quality index worldwide signal a leadership position for this important health category. Thank you Ran for sharing these developments in the quest for air quality.

Gary Drenik