MEDIA CONTACT: Neil Shader,
ra-epnews@pa.gov
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has declared a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for ozone for Sunday, June 11, 2023, in the following areas of Pennsylvania:
- The Philadelphia Area, which includes the counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia;
- The Lehigh Valley-Berks Area, which includes the counties of Berks, Lehigh, and Northampton; and
- The Susquehanna Valley Area, which includes the counties of Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York.
Mostly sunny skies, temperatures approaching 90 degrees, and winds from the south and southwest will likely contribute to 8-hour average concentrations of ozone in the Code Orange range on Sunday. Residents are encouraged to check
www.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 there are 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; and
- 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 (EPA) Air Quality Index (AQI) 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; and Red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all.
An Air Quality Action Day is declared when the AQI is forecasted to be Code Orange or higher. On an Air Quality Action Day, young children, the elderly, 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.
For more information, visit DEP at
www.ahs.dep.pa.gov/AQPartnersWeb, EPA’s AirNow at
www.airnow.gov, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission’s Air Quality Partnership at
www.airqualitypartnership.org, or Air Quality Partnership of Lehigh Valley-Berks at
www.airqualityaction.org.
For more information on the
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, please visit the website or follow DEP on
Facebook,
Twitter, or
LinkedIn.