PHILADELPHIA – Smoke from wildfires burning in Canada has caused air quality alerts to be issued across the Philadelphia area on Sunday.
What we know:
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has issued a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for several counties:
SussexWarrenMorrisHunterdonSomersetMiddlesexWestern MonmouthEastern MonmouthMercerSalemGloucesterCamdenNorthwestern BurlingtonOceanCumberlandAtlanticCape MayAtlantic Coastal Cape MayCoastal AtlanticCoastal OceanSoutheastern Burlington
The cities of Newton, Washington, Morristown, Flemington, Somerville, New Brunswick, Freehold, Sandy Hook, Trenton, Pennsville, Glassboro, Camden, Cherry Hill, Moorestown, Mount Holly, Jackson, Millville, Hammonton, Cape May Court House, Ocean City, Atlantic City, Long Beach Island, and Wharton State Forest were also included.
A Code Red Alert was issued in Philadelphia, according to the Department of Public Health.
The city was listed as “unhealthy” early Sunday morning with a rating of “152” on the Air Quality Index.
By the numbers:
An Air Quality Alert is issued when levels in the outdoor air may approach or exceed unhealthy standards, and is categorized based on its Air Quality Index number.
What do the numbers mean? 0-50: Good, with little to no risk of pollution.51-100: Moderate and really is not a risk to anyone unless they’re unusually sensitive to poor air quality. The national weather service will often still issue an air quality alert when we’re in this range.101-150: This is a risk for sensitive groups and people with asthma.151-200: A risk for everyone and people who are sensitive are at risk of more severe complications.201-300: Very unhealthy and a risk for everyone.301+: Emergency conditions.
What you can do:
Health officials recommend that people within the region consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity, especially very young children, the elderly and those with pre-existing respiratory problems, such as asthma or heart disease.
Those with symptoms should consider consulting their personal physician.
The Source: Information from this article was sourced from the National Weather Service.