Air quality alert issued in Philadelphia area amid smoke from Canadian wildfires

Code Orange for poor air quality issued in the region

A Code Orange Air Quality alert was issued Wednesday, due to smoke from wildfires burning in Canada wafting south across much of the region.

PHILADELPHIA - The Code Orange air quality alert for the Philadelphia region has some residents using caution as they enjoyed Wednesday’s late spring weather.

What we know:

The New Jersey Environmental Protection Agency, the Pennsylvania EPA and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission have issued a Code Orange air quality alert for the area.

Exercising on Kelly Drive along the Schuylkill River is a long-held Philly tradition. Running and biking twice-weekly for his health, 60-year-old Rodney Fultz is aware of the region’s struggle with air quality.

Fultz of Overbrook said, "As a runner and a biker, all the air quality that you experience with all the cars and emissions and factories around you - it is a concern."

Code Orange air quality declared in Philadelphia area

The New Jersey Environmental Protection Agency, the Pennsylvania EPA and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission have issued a Code Orange air quality alert for the area.

Code Orange:

A big concern Wednesday, as Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection declares it a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for Ozone urging young children, the elderly and those with heart and breathing ailments to use caution.

Kevin Stewart is the Director of Environmental Health for the American Lung Association. He said, "It’s adding insult to injury where you have a situation where the air quality is something that we regularly struggle with from time to time. Then you are adding additional impacts."

The source of the problem is smoke from wildfires in Canada drifting into the U.S. Air quality in the region is a major concern with the lung association slapping Philadelphia with an F for air pollution.

Impacts:

Shyra Boo is an asthma sufferer. She said, "If I knew it was a code orange I would have stayed in the house. I’m very sensitive. My nose starts running and my eyes swell up."

In Minnesota, the smoke from Canada hangs heavy in the air. Conditions may worsen in the Philly region Wednesday night and Thursday prompting some to keep an eye on the sky.

Carla Joseph lives in Olney. Resting and reading in a green space off Kelly Drive, she said, "It is concerning. I don’t really see it just yet, but I am going to keep an eye out because I remember it happened before, and it was really visible."

What you can do:

Young children, the elderly and people with respiratory or heart conditions are being urged to take it easy, and limit outdoor activities until better air quality returns.

HELPFUL INFORMATION:

Visit the American Lung Association website for more information on staying healthy and safe.

The City of Philadelphia has several pages of information on safety and heat on their website, including real-time daily updates regarding air quality, here and resources for heat health and Code Reds issued in the city, here.

Additionally:

• New Jersey Environmental Protection Agency
• Pennsylvania EPA
• Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission