Air Quality Alert in effect for parts of the Miami Valley on Thursday

MIAMI VALLEY — An Air Quality Alert will be in effect for parts of the Miami Valley on Thursday, July 22.

The alert is for all areas of Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery and Preble Counties.

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According to the Miami Valley Regional Planning Committee, in conjunction with the Regional Air Pollution Control Agency, the Air Quality Index forecast for Thursday is 101, which is considered “unhealthy for sensitive groups.”

Older adults, children, and anyone with respiratory or cardiac diseases should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion. People with asthma should follow their asthma action plans and keep quick relief medicine handy.

In a release, the MVRPC and RAPCA said “smoke from wildfires in Canada and in the Western parts of the United States has contributed to an increase in ground-level particulate matter and may lead to elevated air pollution levels.”

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People are asked to to the following to reduce air pollution:

• Avoid driving if possible. Vehicle emissions cause almost 50% of ground-level ozone. Carpool or take transit, if possible or for short trips walk or ride a bike.
• Refuel your vehicle after 8:00 p.m. or, if possible, wait until after the Air Quality Alert expires. Vapors from gasoline contribute to the smog problem. By refueling after 8:00 p.m. when it’s cooler, smog doesn’t form as easily. Make sure your gas cap fits tightly so gas fumes don’t escape and contribute to the smog problem.
• Limit use of small gasoline-powered equipment such as lawnmowers, chainsaws, power trimmers, and shredders. Operating a gasoline-powered lawnmower for one hour produces the same amount of pollution as driving a car for eleven hours! Try a non-motorized or battery-powered lawnmower instead.
• Mow your lawn in the evening when the sunlight is not as strong and smog is less likely to form.

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