Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issues air quality alert for Wednesday

• By Nathan Willison/ LNP | LancasterOnline

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has issued a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for the Susquehanna Valley for Wednesday due to high ozone levels caused in part by smoke from wildfires in Canada.

During a Code Orange, air quality is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, including the elderly, individuals with preexisting heart or lung disease, children and those with asthma.

The Code Orange has been issued for Dauphin, Cumberland, York, Lebanon, and Lancaster counties, as well as the Philadelphia area and Lehigh Valley region.

Officials with the DEP said Wednesday’s forecast for sunny skies and high temperatures combined with a thin layer of smoke originating from wildfires in the Canadian province of Manitoba will lead to rapid ozone development during the late morning and afternoon hours.

Periods of elevated ozone levels can lead to an increase in asthma attacks and hospital admissions according to studies from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

State officials say residents can take the following steps to reduce ozone levels:

• 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 the air conditioning to a higher temperature and turning off lights that are not in use.

Forecasters with the Air Quality Partnership of the Susquehanna Valley say ozone levels are expected to drop back into the moderate range Thursday and air quality is expected to continue to improve throughout the week.

However, forecasters are monitoring an area of smoke across the Great Lakes that could impact the region next week.