State environmental officials have issued an air quality alert for Lehigh, Northampton and Berks counties for Monday, July 8, due to the potential for air pollution to affect vulnerable populations.
The code orange alert, issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, means that air pollution concentrations in the region may become unhealthy for sensitive groups, including children, people with asthma, heart disease or lung disease, and the elderly.
Officials say the effects of excessive air pollution can be reduced by avoiding exercise and other types of prolonged, strenuous activity outdoors.
A heat advisory for the area has also been issued by the National Weather Service for Monday and Tuesday, for heat indexes of over 100 and due to the potential for heat-related illnesses to occur.
For more information about the air quality alert, visit the DEP’s website as well as the EPA website AirNow.gov, which predicts an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 102 for the area on Monday due to ozone pollution.
It was a little over a year ago that some of the worst air pollution in living memory affected Lehigh Valley residents, after smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted across the Northeastern U.S.
This local news story was reported with generative AI assistance.
