Finding it hard to breathe at CCMF? It may be the air quality, not from all the dancing
For those outside at the Carolina Country Music Festival — and many vacationers coming to Myrtle Beach for the weekend — air quality could be an issue.
Smoke from wildfires that started in late April in Canada has been coming down the East Coast this week, causing the air quality to be poor in many places.
The air quality index in Myrtle Beach Friday is 93, which is on the higher end of a Code Yellow or “moderate” level.
Other cities such as New York have had orange smog and unhealthy conditions. In Washington, DC, air quality reached a Code Purple on June 8, indicating an air quality index of 201-300, or very unhealthy.
Since Friday though, air quality in northeastern cities has improved significantly, with Code Yellows and Code Greens in many of the locations that were suffering earlier in the week.
But residents and visitors are being urged to protect themselves.
What is the air quality index, and what does it exactly measure?
The air quality index, according to the National Weather Service, reports how clean or polluted the air in a specific area is. It also informs what type of health effects people may experience a few hours or days after breathing polluted air — and who in particular will feel the effects the most.
Five pollutants are taken into consideration when determining the air quality index: ground-level ozone, particle pollution, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.
Carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides are some of the thousands of pollutants present in wildfire smoke, which is what the East Coast is dealing with.
How to stay safe in moderate or unhealthy air quality
The National Weather Service Wilmington said in a weekend briefing Friday that since Myrtle Beach will still be under a Code Yellow, people who are sensitive to air pollution are encouraged to protect themselves.
Dr. Desmond Young, a pulmonary critical care and sleep physician at Tidelands Health, said people who are sensitive to air pollution include those who are 18 years old and younger, people with asthma, pregnant individuals, people with cardiovascular disease and people who work outside for long hours, such as construction workers or landscapers.
Young said Myrtle Beach residents tend to not pay attention to the air quality because of how healthy the air is most of the time.
“I think that’s what we’re used to; just having great air quality,” Young said, “and now, it’s going to become an issue, unfortunately, in the next few days or weeks.”
If the air quality index is under 100, most people are OK to be outside, Young said. But once the index extends beyond 100, that’s when people who aren’t usually sensitive to pollution need to take some precautions as well.
Limit time spent outside, if possible. Find some indoor activities to do if on vacation
When outside, wear an approved, well-fitting mask that has not been reused too much. This includes N95 and KN95. Those masks usually have “NIOSH” printed on them, Young said, which indicates that the mask has been approved by the National Institute of Occupational Safety. Young added that bandannas and surgical masks don’t filter out pollutants like the approved masks do.
Try not to do vigorous outdoor exercise where breathing becomes heavy and fast.
Young said that if smoke can’t be smelled or seen, then a way to figure out if adverse health effects are starting to kick in is to watch for watering eyes, irritation, production of phlegm and excess coughing or wheezing, which could indicate difficulty breathing.
While larger pollution particles can’t travel into the lungs as easily due to the small airways, they can travel into the eyes, hence, the watery eyes.
How to track the air quality
Residents and visitors of Myrtle Beach can keep up with the air quality index throughout the weekend by using the default weather app on a mobile device or going to AirNow.gov and searching “Myrtle Beach.”
Young stresses to check the air quality index frequently, as it’s updated hourly.
What each air quality index means
These levels are according to AirNow from the National Weather Service.
Good (Green): Level of index ranges from 0 to 50, indicates little or no risk from air pollution
Moderate (Yellow): Level of index ranges from 51 to 100, indicates some risk for people sensitive to air pollution
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (Orange): Level of index ranges from 101-150, indicates risk for health effects on sensitive groups of people
Unhealthy (Red): Level of index ranges from 151-200, indicates that some members of general public may experience health effects while members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects
Very unhealthy (Purple): Level of index ranges from 201-300, indicates a health alert, where risk of health effects is increased for everyone
Hazardous (Maroon): Level of index is 301 or higher, indicates a health warning of emergency conditions, where everyone is more likely to be affected
