The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has declared a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day throughout the entire Commonwealth for fine particulate matter in Friday.
Children, sensitive populations such as older people, those who exercise or work outdoors and those with lung or respiratory conditions such as asthma, emphysema, or bronchitis should reduce or eliminate their outdoor activities.
Smoke due to wildfires in eastern Canada will likely contribute to daily average concentrations of fine particulate matter in the Code Orange range on Friday. Changing weather conditions compared to earlier in the week are making conditions better. Residents are encouraged to check airnow.gov for current conditions in their area.
The weather pattern causing the poor air quality is anticipated to move out of Pennsylvania over the weekend. DEP will continue to update the forecast to determine ongoing needs for Air Quality Alerts.
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.