DEP Declares Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for Ozone for Tuesday, June 21, 2022, in the Pittsburgh and Indiana County Areas

Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has declared a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for ozone for Tuesday, June 21, 2022, in the Pittsburgh area, which includes Allegheny, Washington, Westmoreland, Fayette, Beaver, Butler, and Armstrong counties. In addition, an Air Quality Action Day has also been declared for the Indiana county area with respect to ozone.

Mostly sunny skies and high temperatures around 90 degree will likely contribute to 8-hour average concentrations of ozone in the Code Orange range on Tuesday.

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 Action Day is declared when the AQI 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 ozone air pollution by:

• Driving less by carpooling or using public transportation;

• Combining errands to reduce vehicle trips;

• Limiting engine idling;

• Refueling cars and trucks after dusk; and

• Conserving electricity by setting air conditioning to a higher temperature and turning off lights that are not in use.

MEDIA CONTACT: Neil Shader, [email protected], 717-787-1323

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