An air quality health advisory has been issued for Long Island by the State Department of Environmental Conservation and will remain in effect through 11 p.m., the Suffolk County health department said in a press release this afternoon.
The pollutant of concern is ozone, according to the health department.
The state issues air quality health advisories when DEC meteorologists predict levels of pollution, either ozone or fine particulate matter, are expected to exceed an Air Quality Index (AQI) value of 100. The AQI was created as an easy way to correlate levels of different pollutants to one scale, with a higher AQI value indicating a greater health concern. The AQI for Long Island this afternoon is 101.
Summer heat can lead to the formation of ground-level ozone, a major component of photochemical smog, according to the DEC. 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.
“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). When outdoor levels of ozone are elevated, going indoors will usually reduce your exposure. Individuals experiencing symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain or coughing should consider consulting their doctor,” the DEC said in a statement.
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