Code orange air quality alert issued for Pittsburgh area on Tuesday
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- There will be unhealthy levels of pollution for sensitive groups of people on Tuesday, leading the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to declare a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for the Pittsburgh area.
The code orange covers Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties as well as the counties around Philadelphia. It means vulnerable populations like kids, the elderly and people with respiratory issues should limit outdoor activities because of the higher air pollution levels.
The DEP declared a code orange for Tuesday because mostly sunny skies, light winds and highs in the 90s will likely contribute to 8-hour average concentrations of ozone in the code orange range.
"High ozone levels are most common during summer months when there are long days with plentiful sunshine and high levels of ozone precursors combine," the DEP explained in a news release.
"Although ozone precursors are most often generated by car exhaust and industrial air emissions, wildfire smoke can provide additional precursors. Ozone pollution is most common in densely populated areas with higher amounts of car exhaust and industrial air emissions."
Residents are encouraged to help reduce ozone air pollution by driving less, refueling their vehicles after dusk and conserving electricity.