Another Day Of Potentially Harmful Air In Philly Region Wednesday

PHILADELPHIA — Vulnerable populations should limit their time outside in the Philadelphia region Wednesday as state environmental officials declared Wednesday a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day.

For the second day in the row, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued a warning about air quality that is potentially dangerous to some residents in the region due to smoke from Canadian wildfires wafting to the Philadelphia area.

The smoke will contribute to daily average concentrations of fine particulate matter in the Code Orange range on Wednesday, officials said.

Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties are all part of the Code Orange declaration.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index provides standardized color codes for forecasting and reporting daily air quality. Orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive groups of people; and Red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all.

An Air Quality Action Day is declared when the index is forecasted to be Code Orange or higher.

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.

Residents and businesses within the Air Quality Action Day area are strongly encouraged to voluntarily help reduce fine particulate matter air pollution by avoiding the open burning of leaves, trash, and other materials; and avoiding the use of gas-powered lawn and garden equipment.