Air Quality Action Days Forecast For the Weekend

Residents, Businesses Encouraged to Reduce Air Pollution

HARRISBURG, Pa., July 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of Environmental Protection and its regional air quality partnerships have forecast air quality action days for Saturday, July 19, in theBerks/Lehigh,Liberty/Clairton, Susquehanna Valley,Philadelphia andPittsburgh regions, and for Sunday, July 20, in thePittsburgh andLiberty/Clairton regions.

The air quality forecast predicts Saturday will be code ORANGE for ozone and particulate matter in theBerks/Lehigh, Susquehanna Valley,Philadelphia andPittsburgh regions:

-- TheBerks/Lehigh Valley region includesBerks,Lehigh andNorthampton counties;

-- The Susquehanna Valley region includesCumberland,Dauphin,Lancaster,Lebanon andYork counties;

-- ThePhiladelphia region includesBucks,Chester,Delaware,Montgomery andPhiladelphia counties; and

-- ThePittsburgh region includesAllegheny,Armstrong,Beaver,Butler,Fayette,Washington andWestmoreland counties.

The air quality forecast predicts Saturday will be code RED for particulate matter in theLiberty/Clairton region, which includes the boroughs ofClairton,Glassport,Liberty,Lincoln andPort Vue in southeasternAllegheny County.

The air quality forecast predicts Sunday will be code ORANGE for particulate matter in thePittsburgh andLiberty/Clairton regions.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's standardized air quality index uses colors to report daily air quality (green signifies good, yellow means moderate, orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive people, and red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all). Air quality action days are declared at orange and red when fine particulate matter reaches unhealthy levels.

Ground-level ozone, a key component of smog, forms during warm weather when pollution from vehicles, industry, households and power plants "bakes" in the hot sun, making it hard for some people to breathe.

On air quality action days, young children, the elderly and people with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities.

To help keep the air healthy, residents and businesses are encouraged to voluntarily limit certain pollution-producing activities by taking the following steps:

-- Ride the bus or carpool to work;

-- Avoid burning leaves, trash and other materials;

-- Wash dishes and clothes with full loads; and

-- Save energy -- do not overcool your home.

These forecasts are provided in conjunction with the Air Quality Partnership of the Delaware Valley, the Southwest Pennsylvania Air Quality Partnership, theLehigh Valley/Berks Air Quality Partnership, and the Susquehanna Valley Air Quality Partnership.

For more information on ozone, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us, keyword: Ozone. To view the air quality forecast, for more information on the Air Quality Partnerships, or to sign up to receive free daily forecasts by e-mail, visit www.aqpartners.org.

CONTACT: Tom Rathbun

717-787-1323

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

Copyright © 2008, PRNewswire
Copyright © 2008, NewsBlaze, Daily News

Tags: Environment, , pennsylvania

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