Air quality in northeast Pa. remains a concern as haze continues
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has declared a Code Red Air Quality Action Day for all of Pennsylvania on Wednesday.
Previously, northeastern Pennsylvania had not been included in the DEP's Code Orange alert, despite hazy skies and poor air quality due to smoke from Canadian wildfires. The DEP did declare a Code Orange alert for Wednesday for other parts of Pennsylvania, including Berks, Lehigh and Northampton counties. The Philadelphia, Susquehanna Valley and Pittsburgh areas were also included.
“An Air Quality Action Day is declared when the AQI is forecasted to be Code Orange or higher,” the DEP’s news release said. “On an Air Quality Action Day, 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.”
Orange in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Air Quality Index means that the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups. Red means unhealthy for everyone.
More: Poconos see hazy skies Tuesday afternoon. Here's some tips to protect your lungs
Related: Canadian wildfires trigger air quality alerts in Pa.
At 9 a.m., the NowCast AQI for locations in the Delaware Water Gap Reporting Area (including Stroudsburg/East Stroudsburg, Mount Pocono and Milford) was 151, the low end of the red range. The Scranton and Wilkes-Barre Reporting Area, which includes Hawley and Honesdale, was at 192, near the upper end of the red range.
The NowCast, available at airnow.gov, "shows you air quality for the most current hour available by using a calculation that involves multiple hours of past data," the site says.
The DEP did not immediately respond to a question about why a Code Orange alert had not been issued for northeastern Pennsylvania.
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Sports affected by poor air quality
The Tuesday baseball game between the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders and the Norfolk Tides was canceled “due to poor air quality and an abundance of caution for potential health concerns,” said Adam Marco, director of communications and broadcaster for the team.
Additionally, the Honesdale Little Baseball Association is postponing all games Wednesday. The Northeast Pride travel baseball organization has moved its Scout Day to the weekend.
Steve Pinto, who oversees Pro Prospects travel baseball and softball teams and co-owns the NEPA Sports Factory in White Mills, has been bringing practices inside. "Thankfully, we can bring our practices indoors. Yesterday we brought six team practices inside and today we have five that we’re bringing inside," he said Wednesday.
FC Pocono Soccer organization in East Stroudsburg has cancelled all outdoor soccer activity Wednesday night due to poor air quality from the smoke and haze and may do so again on Thursday.
In a Tuesday press release from Wayne Memorial Hospital, Dr. Sean McVeigh advised people to avoid going outside if possible, especially between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
“Normally, in our area, it’s about 30,”he said of the air quality level. “However, anything above 151 is in the 'red zone,' meaning this air is unhealthy for everyone, but particularly those who are compromised by diseases such as asthma, COPD, heart disease. They especially need to avoid what we call ‘airway triggers’ that can lead to breathing issues.”
McVeigh, a pulmonologist, suggested wearing a mask if it is necessary to go outside. “It won’t last forever, but not heeding caution could lead to some serious health problems.”
The Monroe County Office of Emergency Management urged residents "to be discerning when calling to report smoke conditions to prevent overload on 911 system. If residents visually observe a fire or emergency they are urged to call 911 immediately."
These conditions will persist until weather patterns change.
"This latest thick plume of smoke from the northwest is remarkable, coming from western Quebec. I would expect visibilities to slip below two miles, looking at the satellite pictures, with some getting near the surface," said meteorologist and Pocono weather expert Ben Gelber. "The hope is that once the persistent New England low lifts at the end of the week and winds become more westerly, the haze will slowly dissipate, if not completely."
Tri-County Independent Sports Editor Kevin Edwards contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Air quality in northeastern Pa. remained 'unhealthy' Wednesday
