What to Do for Your Lungs When the AQI Hits "Unhealthy"

When Malaysia's Air Pollutant Index (API) reaches the "Unhealthy" band (101 to 200), the simplest protective move is to stay indoors with windows shut, run an air purifier or recirculated air-con, and wear a well-fitted N95 mask if you must go out. From there, what you do next depends on exactly how high the API climbs, so here is a band-by-band action list built around Malaysia's own API scale.

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What does an "Unhealthy" API reading actually mean in Malaysia?

Malaysia reports air quality on the Air Pollutant Index (API), not the US AQI, and the numbers are read in bands. "Unhealthy" is 101 to 200, "Very Unhealthy" is 201 to 300, and above 300 is "Hazardous". The lower bands, 0 to 50 "Good" and 51 to 100 "Moderate", need no special action for most people. You can check your area's live API any time on the Department of Environment's APIMS portal or the MyiPM app before you decide whether to head out.

The single number you should remember is 100. Above it, the official advice changes. The Department of Environment Malaysia's General Information of Air Pollutant Index deck gives the advisory for API 101 to 200 as "Limited outdoor activities for the high risk people", and defines high risk as people with heart and lung complications. DOE does not name older adults until the reading passes 200, where its advisory becomes "Old and high risk people are advised to stay indoor and reduce physical activities". Singapore draws the line for older people earlier: Singapore's Ministry of Health asks the elderly to minimise prolonged or strenuous outdoor exertion from PSI 101 to 200, minimise outdoor activity from 201 to 300, and avoid outdoor activity above 300. If you have older parents at home, the Singapore line is the more cautious of the two and there is no cost to following it.

API band action guide at a glance

The full detail for each band is below; this table is the quick reference for a high-API morning.

API 101 to 200 (Unhealthy): what to do

This is the most common haze-season band in the Klang Valley, Johor and across the Causeway in Singapore. Treat it as a "stay in, seal up" day.

• Close windows and doors early in the morning before the outdoor air peaks, and keep them shut.
• Switch air-con to recirculate (not fresh-air intake) and run an air purifier with a HEPA filter in the room you use most.
• Move workouts indoors. A morning run in 150-API air undoes the benefit, so do a home session instead.
• Mask up for essential trips only, and be precise about what a mask does. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, through its National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, states that "NIOSH Approved FFRs are a disposable respirator that achieve a minimum of 95% filtration efficiency", and that "Your N95 respirator must form a seal to your face to work properly. Your breath must pass through the N95 respirator and not around its edges." For cloth masks the same agency reports filtration anywhere between 10% and 99% and says "There are no standards or regulations… It is very difficult to know the level of filtration and protection they provide." So the honest line is not that a cloth mask does nothing. It is that what you get from one is unknown. One caution before anyone buys a box: the United States Environmental Protection Agency's 2026 factsheet Protect Your Lungs From Wildfire Smoke and Ash states that "Wearing a respirator can make it harder to breathe. If you have heart or lung problems or are pregnant, ask your doctor before using a respirator." Singapore's Ministry of Health says the same thing in its own words: "Elderly, pregnant women and people with severe lung or heart problems who have difficulty breathing at rest or on exertion should consult their doctor as to whether they should use the N95 mask."
• Keep sensitive household members home: young kids, elderly parents, and anyone who wheezes on a normal day.

Quick rule of thumb: if you can smell smoke indoors, your seal is leaking. Check window gaps and door bottoms, and consider a second purifier for the bedroom.

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API 201 to 300 (Very Unhealthy): what to do

At this band the whole household, not just sensitive groups, should stay indoors and cut physical activity.

• Cancel outdoor plans entirely, including school runs and markets where possible.
• Run purifiers continuously and create one "clean room" (usually the bedroom) where the family spends the most time.
• Hydrate steadily. Plenty of water keeps the throat and airways comfortable through a long indoor day.
• Watch for symptoms: persistent cough, breathlessness, chest tightness or eye irritation. If a child or elderly parent struggles to breathe, seek medical care; do not wait it out.

API above 300 (Hazardous): what to do

This is an emergency band. The Malaysian government may declare school closures and, in severe episodes, localised emergencies.

• Stay indoors with everything sealed. Treat any outdoor trip as strictly essential.
• Follow official announcements from the DOE, MOH and your state for closures and movement advice.
• Have a plan for vulnerable family members: keep inhalers and regular medication topped up and within reach.
• If anyone shows breathing difficulty, call 999 or go to the nearest hospital.

How do I keep indoor air clean during haze?

A sealed room plus a HEPA air purifier sized for the room's floor area is the most reliable combination, and it has a name in the official guidance. The United States Environmental Protection Agency calls it a clean room: "A clean room is a room that is set up to keep levels of smoke and other particles as low as possible during wildfire smoke events... free from activities that create particles such as cooking or smoking, and the doors and windows should be kept closed." EPA hedges on who benefits most, and we will keep its hedge: it says a clean room may be most helpful for people at greater risk from the effects of smoke, such as children, older adults, and people with heart disease or breathing problems. Two more numbers from the same agency's smoke guidance are worth knowing. During a smoke event, with the windows shut and no air cleaner running, indoor fine-particle levels still sit at roughly half to two thirds of outdoor levels. And a standard air conditioner or a basic HVAC filter will not remove PM2.5 on its own without HEPA filtration. So run the purifier on a higher setting for the first hour to clear the air, then a lower setting to maintain it, and avoid anything that adds particles indoors: no burning incense, no frying with the kitchen window open, no vacuuming without a sealed-bag or HEPA vacuum. Wipe surfaces with a damp cloth rather than dry-dusting, which just re-suspends fine particles.

For a deeper walk-through of seasonal preparation, from sealing your home to building a haze kit for the family, see our haze-season lung-protection guide for Malaysia and Singapore.

Should I still exercise when the API is high?

Not outdoors. Heavy breathing during exercise pulls far more polluted air deep into the lungs, so once your area is in the Unhealthy band, take the workout inside. For the full band-by-band guide, including masks, school sports for kids and when it is safe to resume, see can you exercise outside during the haze in Malaysia.

Looking after the people most affected by haze

Children and elderly parents feel a bad-air day first and recover from it slowest, so they are the ones to plan around. Keep them in the clean room, watch their breathing more closely than your own, and keep their daily routine (meals, sleep, hydration) as steady as you can while the household is shut in. We have practical, household-level guides for supporting elderly parents through haze season and for kids during the haze.

Where does daily lung wellness fit in?

The action list above is your in-the-moment response to a high API reading. Alongside that, many Malaysian and Singaporean families also build a steady daily routine to support their lung wellness across the whole haze season: good hydration, a sealed home, sensible activity, and a daily functional food they trust.

TYGRON® is a tiger milk mushroom (虎乳芝) functional-food sachet built for exactly that daily-wellness role. Each sachet delivers 1,000 mg of tiger milk mushroom sclerotium, a mushroom Malaysian communities have valued for generations, paired with a Herbosomal®-coated extract for better absorption, and a Malaysia Book of Records certification for the highest 1,3/1,6 beta-glucan content in tiger milk mushroom in Malaysia. Many families simply keep it as part of their daily haze-season routine. Dosage is family-friendly: adults take 1 to 2 sachets a day, children 7 to 18 take 1 sachet, ages 2 to 6 take half a sachet, and it is not suitable for under-2s.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between AQI and API in Malaysia?

Malaysia uses the Air Pollutant Index (API), while the US and some apps use the Air Quality Index (AQI). They are calculated differently, so the same air can read as different numbers. For Malaysian decisions, use the API bands reported on the DOE's APIMS portal: 0 to 50 Good, 51 to 100 Moderate, 101 to 200 Unhealthy, 201 to 300 Very Unhealthy, above 300 Hazardous.

At what API number should I start wearing a mask?

Sensitive groups (children, elderly, pregnant women, and people with respiratory or heart conditions) should consider an N95 mask for essential outdoor trips once the API passes 100. For the general population, mask up for outdoor trips through the Unhealthy band and above. Follow the Ministry of Health's current mask-fit and replacement guidance.

Do air purifiers really help during haze?

Yes. A HEPA air purifier sized to the room removes the fine haze particles that ordinary fans and air-con filters miss. Pair it with a sealed room (windows and doors shut, air-con on recirculate) for the best result, and run it continuously through a high-API episode.

Can children go to school when the API is unhealthy?

That depends on official guidance. Malaysian authorities may order school closures when the API is high, often around the Hazardous band. Until a closure is announced, keep sensitive children indoors as much as possible, limit their outdoor activity, and follow your state's announcements.

What should I do if someone at home has trouble breathing during haze?

Move them to the clean room, keep them calm and seated upright, and use any prescribed inhaler or medication. If breathing difficulty continues or worsens, seek medical care immediately: call 999 or go to the nearest hospital. Do not wait for the API to fall.

TYGRON® is formulated in Australia, designed by our Sydney-based team (Fungitech Australia Pty Ltd) to one of the world's most stringent functional-food standards, then manufactured in Malaysia under GMP, HACCP and Halal-certified conditions. Read more in Why TYGRON® Is Formulated in Australia.

TYGRON® is a functional food, not a medicine, and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The air-quality guidance above is general information, not medical advice. For health concerns during a haze episode, follow Ministry of Health advisories and consult a healthcare professional.