The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has issued a “Code Orange” for Sunday. The alert was activated due to sunny skies, light winds, and high temperatures in the 90s, along with a strong area of high pressure that will likely contribute to 8-hour concentrations of ozone.
As reported by pennlive.com, midstate counties included in the code orange alert are Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York.
Standardized color codes, defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index, break down as 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.
June 6 is an Air Quality Action Day. 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.
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Other locations in Pennsylvania also included in the code orange alert are:
- The southeastern counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia.
- The Lehigh Valley-Berks Area which includes the counties of Berks, Lehigh, and Northampton.
- The southwestern counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington, and Westmoreland.
- Indiana County.
- Mercer County.
Reducing air pollution
Residents and businesses within the Air Quality Action Day areas are strongly encouraged to voluntarily help reduce air pollution by:
- Conserving electricity by setting air conditioning to a higher temperature.
- Combining errands to reduce vehicle trips.
- Limiting engine idling.
- Refueling cars and trucks after dusk.