On Monday, Aug. 4, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) declared a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for fine particulate matter due to lingering smoke from Canadian wildfires.
The alert is in effect for Tuesday, Aug. 5, and covers a large portion of central and eastern Pennsylvania, including Carbon, Monroe, Pike and Wayne counties.
Other counties under the alert are: Potter, Tioga, Clinton, Centre, Huntingdon, Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Frankin, Perry, Cumberland, Adams, York, Dauphin, Union, Snyder, Northumberland, Lycoming, Montour, Columbia, Sullivan, Bradford, Susquehanna, Wyoming, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Schuylkill, Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Lebanon, Lancaster, Bucks, Montgomery, Philadelphia, Chester and Delaware.
According to the DEP, smoke from wildfires in Canada is expected to linger throughout the day Tuesday, causing levels of fine particulate pollution to rise into the Code Orange range. This level of air quality means that sensitive groups, including children, older adults, and individuals with respiratory illnesses, may experience health effects and should limit time spent outdoors.
Residents are advised to monitor local air quality conditions by visiting www.airnow.gov.
To help reduce particulate pollution, the DEP is encouraging residents and businesses in affected areas to take action by doing the following:
Avoiding the use of gas-powered lawn and garden equipment
Avoiding the open burning of leaves, trash and other materials
Reducing or eliminating fireplace and wood stove use
For more information and resources, visit the DEP’S Air Quality Partnership page at www.ahs.dep.pa.gov/AQPartnersWeb.
Emmanuella Pierre is the trending and breaking news reporter at the Pocono Record. Reach her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Canadian wildfire smoke sparks air quality alert for Poconos
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