Air quality in Argentina: where to check and what to do

Short answer. No official national air quality index was found for Argentina. Only the City of Buenos Aires, a local government, publishes its own measurements, from three monitoring stations, once a day ¹. On average, fine particles in Argentine cities are about 13 µg/m³, more than twice the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³ ²⁴, while background nitrogen dioxide is below the WHO guideline ³⁴.

Where can I check air quality right now?

There is no national air quality page. The City of Buenos Aires' environmental agency runs three stations (Córdoba, Parque Centenario and La Boca) and validates and publishes their data daily ¹. It covers the city only, not the rest of the metropolitan area or the country. Elsewhere, check your provincial or municipal environment agency. If no local data exists, see Air quality index explained to read the indexes used by other sources.

What do the index levels mean?

Argentina publishes no official national scale of index levels. A reading from any source is only meaningful with the scale it uses, so check that scale before acting on a colour. Air quality index explained compares the common scales.

How polluted is the air on average?

Moderately for fine particles. The population-weighted median of Argentine cities shows about 13 µg/m³ of PM2.5 (annual mean 2021-2023) ², more than twice the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³ ⁴. Nitrogen dioxide is about 4 µg/m³ ³, below the WHO guideline of 10 µg/m³ ⁴. That NO2 figure is a regional background over roughly 80 km: a busy street will be higher.

What should I do on a bad air day, or with smoke or dust?

No national official advice for bad air days, wildfire smoke or dust was found. The general guides apply:

• Wildfire smoke: see Wildfire smoke, A clean-air room at home and Masks for smoke.
• Dust: see Dust storms.
• Pollution episodes and ozone: see Pollution episodes and Ozone days.
• Sensitive people: see Sensitive people and polluted air and Children and polluted air.
• Official warnings: see our Argentina alerts page for the national weather service's alert levels.

A household plan can list who in your home is sensitive to polluted air and which room to keep closed when smoke arrives.

Frequently asked questions

Does Argentina have a national air quality index?

No official national index was found. The City of Buenos Aires publishes its own measurements, for the city only ¹.

How many stations does Buenos Aires city run?

Three, in Córdoba, Parque Centenario and La Boca ¹.

Is the air in Argentina above WHO guidelines?

For PM2.5, yes: about 13 µg/m³ in the city median ² against 5 µg/m³ ⁴. Background NO2, about 4 µg/m³, is below the 10 µg/m³ guideline ³⁴.

Sources

1. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (Agencia de Protección Ambiental) — Calidad del Aire – Laboratorio ambiental — https://web.archive.org/web/20260119120834/https://buenosaires.gob.ar/laboratorio-ambiental/calidad-del-aire (web.archive.org capture of 19 Jan 2026; accessed 2026-10-27)
2. Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group (ACAG), Washington University in St. Louis — Surface PM2.5, V6.GL.02.04 (annual mean 2021-2023) — https://sites.wustl.edu/acag/datasets/surface-pm2-5/ (accessed 2026-10-27)
3. Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) — CAMS global reanalysis (EAC4) — https://ads.atmosphere.copernicus.eu/ (accessed 2026-10-27)
4. World Health Organization (WHO) — WHO global air quality guidelines (2021) — https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240034228 (accessed 2026-10-27)