File photo: Peter Blasl

An air quality health advisory is in effect Thursday for Long Island and the NYC metro region.

The pollutant of concern is ground-level ozone, the State Department of Environmental Conservation said in a press release Wednesday afternoon.

Summer heat can lead to the formation of ground-level ozone, a major component of photochemical smog. Automobile exhaust and out-of-state emission sources are the primary sources of ground-level ozone and are the most serious air pollution problems in the northeast, the DEC said.

People, especially young children, those who exercise outdoors, those involved in vigorous outdoor work and those who have respiratory disease (such as asthma) should consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity when ozone levels are the highest (generally afternoon to early evening). Individuals experiencing symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain or coughing should consider consulting their doctor, the DEC said.

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