28/22 NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) says there will be a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day on Wednesday as Canadian wildfires persist.
On Tuesday, the DEP announced they declared a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for particulate matter from wildfire smoke for Wednesday, August 6, in several counties in the Keystone State.
Below are the listed counties that could be impacted:
Tioga County
Union County
Snyder County
Northumberland County
Lycoming County
Tioga County
Montour County
Columbia County
Sullivan County
Bradford County
Susquehanna County
Wayne County
Wyoming County
Lackawanna County
Luzerne County
Monroe County
Pike County
Carbon County
Schuylkill County
According to the DEP, smoke from Canadian wildfires will continue across most of eastern and central Pennsylvania on Wednesday and bring PM2.5 averages to the Code Orange range.
The DEP advises children, older adults, and residents with respiratory conditions should avoid heavy outdoor activity while the Code Orange is in effect.
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On a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day, those vulnerable to the impact of air pollution, such as young children, the elderly, and those with respiratory issues like emphysema, bronchitis, and asthma, should limit their outdoor activities.
Businesses and residents within the declared areas are highly encouraged by the DEP to voluntarily help mitigate fine particle matter air pollution by doing the following:
Avoiding the open burning of leaves, trash, and other materials
Avoiding the use of gas-powered lawn and garden equipment
Reducing or eliminating fireplace and wood stove use
The US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Air Quality Index (AQI) gives standardized color codes for reporting air quality every day and forecasting, according to the DEP.
Green indicates good air quality, while yellow means moderate air quality. Orange represents harmful pollution levels for sensitive populations and red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for everyone, the DEP explained.
Authorities say an Air Quality Action Day is announced when the AQI is predicted to be a Code Orange or higher.
For current air conditions or more details, residents can find information online.
