Air Quality Alert Issued for Central New York

OSWEGO COUNTY – The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) issued an air quality advisory for Oswego County through Saturday, June 7. Residents are advised to monitor the air quality index and limit their exposure to potential pollutants.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Oswego County’s air quality is “moderate” with an index of 76 as of 2 p.m. today, June 6. Those with unusual sensitivity to particle pollution may want to limit their time outdoors. The air quality rating is forecast to rise to 101 later today.

This rating indicates air quality may be unhealthy for sensitive groups of people, such as those with heart or lung disease, older adults or children and teens. People with underlying medical conditions, such as asthma or COPD, could also be exacerbated by air pollutants.

“Exposure to elevated levels of fine particulate matter can cause short-term health effects such as irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, coughing, sneezing, runny nose and shortness of breath,” said Oswego County Associate Public Health Educator Diane Oldenburg. “Children, the elderly and people with heart or breathing problems can also be particularly sensitive to this pollution.”

Those who are unusually sensitive to particle pollution should consider avoiding strenuous outdoor activities or keeping those activities short. They may also want to consider moving physical activities indoors, choosing less strenuous activities (like walking instead of running, so they’re not breathing as hard), or waiting until the air quality improves before being active outdoors.

The health department continues to monitor the air quality index across the county and residents will be notified if there are any changes. People can monitor the county’s air quality status at https://www.airnow.gov/?city=Oswego&state=NY&country=USA.

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