Take Care Out There: Wildfire Smoke Brings Code Red Air Quality Conditions in PA

It’s gonna be a nasty one, today: The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has declared a statewide Code Red Air Quality Action Day for particulate matter (PM2.5).

GASP wants to strongly urge residents to be air aware - bookmark www.airnow.gov or download the app for current conditions in our area.

As a reminder: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Air Quality Index (AQI) provides standardized color codes for forecasting and reporting daily air quality. Green signifies good air quality; Yellow means moderate air quality; Orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive groups of people; and Red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all. An Air Quality Alert is declared when the AQI is forecasted to be Code Orange or higher.

During Code Red Air Quality Alerts all residents should consider limiting their outdoor activities, and sensitive groups such as children, elderly residents, and those with respiratory illnesses should avoid long or intense outdoor activities and consider moving activities indoors.

Residents and businesses within the Air Quality Alert areas are strongly encouraged to voluntarily help reduce fine particulate matter air pollution by:

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

• Reducing or eliminating fireplace and wood stove use; and

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

The expected poor air quality also prompted the Allegheny County Health Department on Wednesday to issue a Mon Valley Air Pollution Watch for today and Friday.

A Mon Valley Air Pollution Watch is issued when weather conditions are forecast to cause a high concentration of particulate pollution in the Mon Valley. During the Watch phase, facilities like U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works must conduct basic checks to ensure equipment is in good working order and that they have adequate staff to take actions required under the Warning phase.  

These alerts are sent as part of The Mon Valley Episode Rule, an addition to our local Air Pollution Control Regulations that was signed into law in September 2021. You can get the skinny on the rule right here.

GASP continues to monitor our local air quality conditions, and will be posting updates on our social media. Please be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky.