Code Orange air quality alert in place for Pittsburgh area Wednesday

WPXI.com News Staff
·2 min read

A Code Orange Air Quality Day is in effect Wednesday in the Pittsburgh area, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced.

Smoke from wildfires in eastern Canada will likely contribute to daily average concentrations of fine particulate matter in the code orange range.

The communities that are impacted by the code orange alert are the counties surrounding Pittsburgh, including Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland.

Sensitive groups, including children, the elderly and those with respiratory problems, should limit outdoor activities.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index has standardized color codes for forecasting and reporting daily air quality. Here’s how the color codes are broken down:

  • Green signifies good air quality.

  • Yellow means moderate air quality.

  • Orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive groups of people.

  • Red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all.

An Air Quality Action Day is declared when the AQI is forecast to be code orange or worse.

The DEP said people and businesses within the Air Quality Action Day areas are strongly encouraged to voluntarily help reduce fine particulate matter air pollution by:

  • Reducing or eliminating fireplace and wood stove use

  • Avoiding the open burning of leaves, trash, and other materials

  • Avoiding the use of gas-powered lawn and garden equipment

For more information, visit DEP at www.ahs.dep.pa.gov/AQPartnersWeb, EPA’s AirNow at www.airnow.gov, Allegheny County Health Department at www.alleghenycounty.us/airquality, or Southwestern Pennsylvania Air Quality Partnership at www.spaqp.org.

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