Air Quality Action Day Forecast on July 9 in the Liberty/Clairton Region

HARRISBURG, Pa., July 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of Environmental Protection and its regional air quality partnerships have forecast an air quality action day for Friday, July 9, in the Liberty/Clairton region. The air quality forecast predicts Friday will be code ORANGE for fine particulate matter.

The Liberty/Clairton region in southeastern Allegheny County includes Clairton, Glassport, Liberty, Lincoln and Port Vue boroughs.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's standardized air quality index uses colors to report daily air quality. Green signifies good, yellow means moderate, orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive people, and red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all.

Fine particulate matter, or PM 2.5, has a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers, about one-thirtieth the diameter of a human hair. These particles can get deep into the lungs and can cause significant health problems. PM 2.5 has been determined to be most closely associated with health effects related to increased hospital admissions and emergency room visits for heart and lung disease, increased respiratory symptoms and disease, and decreased lung function.

Ground-level ozone, a key component of smog, forms during warm weather when pollution from vehicles, industry, households and power plants "bakes" in the hot sun, making it hard for some people to breathe.

On air quality action days, young children, the elderly and people with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities.

To help keep the air healthy, residents and businesses are encouraged to voluntarily limit certain pollution-producing activities by taking the following steps:

• Ride the bus or carpool to work:
• Wash dishes and clothes only with full loads; and
• Save energy – turn off unused lights in your home.

These forecasts are provided in conjunction with the Air Quality Partnership of the Delaware Valley, the Southwest Pennsylvania Air Quality Partnership, the Lehigh Valley/Berks Air Quality Partnership, and the Susquehanna Valley Air Quality Partnership.

For more information, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us, keyword: Air Quality Partnership.

Media contact: John Repetz, 717-787-1323

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

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