Mar 16 2009
The Department of Environmental Protection and its regional air quality partnerships have forecast an air quality action day for Tuesday, March 17, in the Berks/Lehigh Valley and Susquehanna Valley regions.
The air quality forecast predicts Tuesday will be code ORANGE for particulate matter in those regions. The Berks/Lehigh Valley region includes Berks, Lehigh and Northampton counties; the Susquehanna Valley region includes Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties.
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). Air quality action days are declared at orange and red when fine particulate matter reaches unhealthy levels.
On air quality action days, young children, the elderly and people with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities.
To help keep the air healthy, residents and businesses are encouraged to voluntarily limit certain pollution-producing activities by taking the following steps:
- Ride the bus or carpool to work;
- Avoid burning leaves, trash and other materials; and
- Conserve energy by washing dishes and clothes with full loads.
These 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.