Residents Urged To Take Precautions Due To Poor Air Quality From Quebec Wildfires

OSWEGO COUNTY – The New York State departments of Health (NYSDOH) and Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) have issued an air quality advisory for most of the state today and tomorrow, June 6 and 7, due to the wildfires currently burning in Quebec. The Oswego County Health Department joins the state in urging residents to limit their exposure to potential 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,” stated Dr. Christina Liepke, medical director for the Oswego County Health Department. “It can also worsen medical conditions such as asthma, COPD and heart disease. Children, the elderly, and people with heart or breathing problems may be particularly sensitive to this pollution. We ask residents to monitor those with underlying medical conditions for worsening signs and symptoms and seek medical care if needed.”

People can monitor Oswego County’s air quality status at https://www.airnow.gov/?city=Oswego&state=NY&country=USA and take into account the following safety precautions.

Those with heart and lung disease, older adults, children and teens should:

• Avoid strenuous outdoor activities.
• Keep outdoor activities short.
• Consider moving physical activities indoors or re-scheduling them.

Otherwise, most people can:

• Choose less strenuous activities, like walking instead of running, so they’re not breathing as hard.
• Wait until the air quality improves to become active outdoors.

People may also want to consider keeping windows and doors closed to protect indoor air quality and using air purifiers or air conditioners with high efficiency filtration if available.

Following is a National Weather Service Air Quality Alert for the Central New York area:

Air Quality Alert

Monroe-Wayne-Northern Cayuga-Oswego-Jefferson-Lewis-Livingston- Ontario-Allegany- Including the cities of Rochester, Newark, Fair Haven, Oswego, Watertown, Lowville, Geneseo, Canandaigua, and Wellsville

…AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT WEDNESDAY NIGHT...

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation at Albany has extended the Air Quality Health Advisory for Fine Particulates until midnight EDT Wednesday night.

Air quality levels in outdoor air are predicted to be greater than an Air Quality Index value of 110 for Fine Particulates today and greater than 125 for Fine Particulates on Wednesday. The Air Quality Index…or AQI…was created as an easy way to correlate levels of different pollutants to one scale. The higher the AQI value…the greater the health concern.

When pollution levels are elevated…the New York State Department of Health recommends that individuals consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity to reduce the risk of adverse health effects.

People who may be especially sensitive to the effects of elevated levels of pollutants include the very young and those with pre-existing respiratory problems such as asthma or heart disease. Those with symptoms should consider consulting their personal physician.

For additional information, please visit the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation website at, https://on.ny.gov/nyaqi, or call the Air Quality Hotline at 1-800-535-1345.

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