Reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion. Take more breaks, do less intense activities. Watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath. Schedule outdoor activities in the morning when ozone is lower.
People with asthma should follow their asthma action plans and keep quick relief medicine handy.
Air Quality Forecast for Friday, May 25
(Click the Real-Time Air Quality link and watch in real-time as the pollution rolls across our region.)
| Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | |
| Health Message: Active children and adults, and people with lung disease, such as asthma, should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors. | |
 ACTION DAY |
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Do Your Share!
- Carpool, bike or walk instead of driving.
- Use your most fuel efficient vehicle and drive gently.
- Keep your motorcycle in the garage. They don’t have the pollution controls modern passenger vehicles do.
- Refuel your vehicle after 8 PM; do not top off when refueling and tighten the gas cap.
- Avoid idling your vehicle. (Avoid drive-thru windows.)
- Combine trips and eliminate unnecessary vehicle trips
- Do not use of gasoline-powered lawn equipment
- Do not use of oil-based paints and stains
- Never burn leaves or other yard trimmings.
- Do not use fire pits.
- Conserve electricity by turning off unnecessary lights.
- Turn your air conditioner thermostat up and use room fans for cooling.
- Save the power boating for another day.
- Initiate an Air Pollution Alert Day policy where you work; whether that be a company you own, an employee, a local government agency you work for, or a school district.
Sign up for Enviroflash and Start Receiving Your Air Quality Forecast
Children and Air Pollution
Children face special risks from air pollution because their lungs are growing and because they are so active and breathe in a great deal of air.
Just like the arms and legs, the largest portion of a child’s lungs will grow long after he or she is born. Eighty percent of their tiny air sacs develop after birth. Those sacs, called the alveoli, are where the life-sustaining transfer of oxygen to the blood takes place. The lungs and their alveoli aren’t fully grown until children become adults. In addition, the body’s defenses that help adults fight off infections are still developing in young bodies. Children have more respiratory infections than adults, which also seems to increase their susceptibility to air pollution.
Furthermore, children don’t behave like adults, and their behavior also affects their vulnerability. They are outside for longer periods and are usually more active when outdoors. Consequently, they inhale more polluted outdoor air than adults typically do.
Read on at The American Lung Association…
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