The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection on Saturday declared a code orange air quality action day for ozone today in several regions of Pennsylvania:
— The Susquehanna Valley area, which includes Lancaster, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon and York counties.
— The Lehigh Valley-Berks area, which includes Berks, Lehigh and Northampton counties.
— The Philadelphia area, which includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.
Mostly sunny skies, temperatures approaching 90 degrees, and winds from the south and southwest will likely contribute to concentrations of ozone in the code orange range today. Residents are encouraged to check airnow.gov to see current conditions in their area.
Ozone is formed when airborne chemicals like carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide — called “precursors” — react with sunlight. High ozone levels are most common during summer months when long days with plentiful sunshine and high levels of ozone precursors combine. Ozone precursors are most often generated by car exhaust and industrial air emissions. Ozone pollution is most common in densely populated areas with higher amounts of car exhaust and industrial emissions.
Residents and businesses within the air quality action day areas are strongly encouraged to voluntarily help reduce ozone air pollution by:
— Driving less by carpooling or using public transportation.
— Combining errands to reduce vehicle trips.
— Limiting engine idling.
— Refueling cars and trucks after dusk.
— Conserving electricity by setting air conditioning to a higher temperature and turning off lights that are not in use.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index provides standardized color codes for forecasting and reporting daily air quality. Green signifies good air quality. Yellow means moderate air quality. Orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive groups of people. Red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all.
An air quality action day is declared when the Air Quality Index is forecast to be code orange or higher. On an air quality action day, young children, older adults, and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities.