Loveland, Ohio – The Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency (Agency) has extended an Air Quality Alert for Saturday, June 3 and Sunday, June 4 through 11:59 PM for Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, and Warren counties in Ohio; Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties in Kentucky; and Dearborn County in Indiana.

The Agency expects to see levels of ozone in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” range on the Air Quality Index (AQI).

Use this SITE to track pollution levels in real time.

“Sensitive Groups” refers to people with health issues that might be affected by pollution. This category includes:

• • Babies
  • Young children
  • Elderly people
  • People with respiratory disease
  • People with allergies
  • People with hypersensitivity

For people with sensitivity issues, this could be bad enough to be affected. People with asthma will experience shortness of breath more often. Children and the elderly may suffer more coughing or allergic reactions. Long-term exposure may cause more serious damage.

Children are at increased risk from air pollution primarily because they spend prolonged periods of time outdoors. What’s more, much of this time is spent playing sports or games, meaning children are not only exposed to unhealthy air for longer periods of time than adults, but also at higher rates. (The more strenuous the activity, the more air intake is required, thus the more unhealthy air that is breathed in.) Since kids’ lungs are still developing, high levels of pollutant exposure can go so far as to cause irreversible damage, including decreased lung-function growth. The fact that about 1 in 14 children (7%) have asthma also puts youth at increased risk. – Source: What “Unhealthy Air Quality for Sensitive Groups” Means (treehugger.com)

On Air Quality Alert days, everyone can help reduce ozone formation by taking the following actions:

• Take the bus, carpool, bike, or walk instead of drive.
• Refuel your vehicle after 8 p.m.; do not top off when refueling and tighten the gas cap.
• Do not idle your vehicle; exhaust contributes considerably to ozone formation.
• Combine trips or eliminating unnecessary vehicle trips.
• Keep your vehicle maintained with properly inflated tires and timely oil changes.
• Avoid use of gasoline-powered lawn equipment on Air Quality Alert days.
• Avoid use of oil-based paints and stains on Air Quality Alert days.
• Never burn leaves or other yard trimmings.
• Suspend use of fire pits, campfires and charcoal grills on Air Quality Alert days.
• Conserve electricity by turning out lights and unplugging unused appliances and electronics.