A smoggy sunset. (Photo via Unsplash).
Poor and unhealthy air quality levels continued into Wednesday.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) extended its air quality health advisory for fine particulate matter until the late evening hours of Wednesday. The advisory is for the Central New York, Long Island, New York City Metro, Eastern Lake Ontario and Western New York regions.
The DEC’s updated advisory can be viewed by clicking here.
As of the mid-morning hours of Wednesday, the airnow.gov website shows the air quality in Cortland at a hazardous range (351), leading to a recommendation of staying indoors and reducing outdoor activity.
The air quality alert is due to the ongoing Canadian wildfires in Quebec and Nova Scotia, causing smog and the smell of burning wood to be pushed into the Northeast region. An alert has been in effect since Tuesday.
The DEC’s air quality index (AQI) is here.
“The higher the AQI value, the greater the health concern,” said Cortland County public health director Nicole Anjeski via a release.
Drew Montreuil, a weather expert that provides local forecasts, said Wednesday’s elevated AQI levels “will be the worst of it.” He noted there is no concern of the current levels going into the weekend.
According to the county health department’s release, the the New York State Department of Health noted that when pollution levels are elevated, it is recommended that individuals limit
strenuous outdoor physical activity (such as walking instead of running) to reduce their risk of adverse health effects.
“People who may be especially sensitive to the effects of elevated levels of pollutants include the very young, older adults, and those with pre-existing respiratory problems such as asthma or heart disease,” noted in the release. “Those with related healthcare concerns should consider contacting their healthcare provider.”
The release continued by saying, “Community members should keep outdoor activities short or avoid these activities altogether and should consider moving physical activities indoors or rescheduling them.”
The county health department noted in its release that high-quality masks, including N95 and KN95 masks, can be worn outdoors to “reduce the inhalation of fine particles.” Cloth and surgical masks are “not effective at reducing the inhalation of pollutants.”
