On air quality action days, young children, the elderly and those with respiratory problems, are especially vulnerable to air pollution and should limit outdoor activities.
An orange air quality action day for ozone has been forecast for Thursday in areas including the Lehigh Valley, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and its regional air quality partnerships.
On air quality action days, 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, according to the DEP.
Other regions on the orange air quality alert list are Liberty-Clairton, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and the Susquehanna Valley area.
The DEP considers Berks, Lehigh and Northampton counties as the Lehigh Valley.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standardized air quality index uses colors to report daily air quality. Green signifies good; yellow means moderate; orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive people; and red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all.
Ground-level ozone, a key component of smog, forms during warm weather when pollution from vehicles, industry, households and power plants “bakes” in the hot sun, making it hard for some people to breathe.
To help keep the air healthy, residents and businesses are encouraged to voluntarily limit certain pollution-producing activities. They are urged to: ride the bus or carpool to work; limit engine idling; and combine errands and reduce trips.
The forecasts are provided in conjunction with the Air Quality Partnership of the Delaware Valley, the Southwest Pennsylvania Air Quality Partnership, the Lehigh Valley/Berks Air Quality Partnership and the Susquehanna Valley Air Quality Partnership.