Air quality in parts of WNY is "unhealthy for sensitive groups," Thursday.
It's due to smoke from Canadian wildfires.
As of 1 p.m. Thursday, the Air Quality Index for almost all of the region is "unhealthy for sensitive groups" according to the map on airnow.gov.
According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, "sensitive groups" include children and teens, the elderly, pregnant people, those with lung or heart conditions, asthmatics, those who exercise or work outdoors and those in disadvantaged communities.
According to airnow.gov, those in sensitive groups should take any of these steps to reduce exposure:
- Choose less strenuous activities (like walking instead of running) so you don’t breathe as hard.
- Shorten the amount of time you are active outdoors.
- Be active outdoors when air quality is better.
The "unhealthy for sensitive groups" category applies when the air quality index is between 101-150.
You can monitor the current air quality for your zip code at airnow.gov.
What is Air Quality Index?
The DEC states the AQI is a scale used for reporting daily air quality. It tells you how clean or polluted your air is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for you. The AQI correlates levels of different pollutants to one scale. The higher the AQI value, the greater the health concern. An Air Quality Health Advisory is issued to alert sensitive groups to take necessary precautions when ozone and/or fine particle levels are expected to exceed an AQI value of 100.
