It's only slightly hazy on Monday July 20, but an Air Quality Action Day has been issued by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM).
Smoke from the Canadian wildfires mixing with the sun, heat, lack of wind and existing pollution, have created air conditions "Hazardous" for those with sensitive respiratory systems.
Action days can be called due to higher ozone levels, but this event is due to elevated particulate matter, which is measured daily by IDEM. Specifically, particles measuring 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter.
Mark Derf is a section chief of the technical support and modeling section of the Office of Air Quality at IDEM. He said an Air Quality Action Day is a call to reduce emissions.
“Either carpooling or using public transportation to keep your vehicle off the road. So that would mean less emissions,” he said. “Gassing up after 7 p.m. is an important one — there are pollutants that are released from gassing up your car.”
Reducing the use of lawn equipment is another suggestion.
Derf said the point of reducing emissions is to help those sensitive to poor air quality. When an air quality alert is issued, Vanderburgh County Health Officer Doctor Jason Bredenkamp said those with underlying health issues are most vulnerable.
“Whether it's asthma, whether it's emphysema, COPD, or if you have bad allergies, a poor quality air day can really have significant effects on your ability to breathe and function,” he said. “So those are the patients that we really need to be cautious of and keep an eye on.”
Also vulnerable are the "extremes" of age — the eldest and youngest populations.
Derf said pollution has several sources — like fumes from the gas pump and even dust from Saharan Africa. There are several factors that increase air pollution in this area.
“A lot of its location — a lot of it is the surrounding areas and the industrial activity that are around an area, or naturally occurring fires that may be occurring that can bring pollutants into the area.”
Full sun and a lack of wind enhance the effects of air pollution.
IDEM offers daily predictions on air quality based on a network of instruments that intake air and send readings across the network. Their forecasts and information appears on the Smog Watch website. IDEM includes information on how to reduce air pollution:
Citizen’s Role
Take appropriate health precautions on AQADs by reducing or avoiding exertion or heavy work outdoors.
Follow the pollution prevention tips below for ozone and PM2.5:
Follow advisories from appropriate authorities, including local health departments.
Pollution Prevention Tips for Ozone AQADs Ground-level ozone is a gas that forms near earth’s surface when pollutants in vehicle exhaust, factory emissions, and gasoline vapors chemically react on hot, sunny days. Ground level ozone can affect the community where it forms and is carried long distances by wind.
To reduce ozone: • Drive less: carpool, use public transportation, walk, bike, work from home when possible, and combine errands. • Avoid refueling your vehicle or using gasoline-powered lawn equipment until after 7 p.m.
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