At 5:03 a.m. on Tuesday, Josephine County was placed under an air quality alert.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has issued an Air Quality Advisory that is in force until Wednesday at noon, according to the National Weather Service.
For parts of Josephine County, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued an air quality advisory. Use DEQ’s Air Quality Index to view the most recent air quality conditions and advisories, or download the OregonAIR app to your smartphone.
The use of wood stoves, fireplaces, and outdoor burning has been restricted by numerous county health and local air agencies. For people with low incomes and those who only use wood to heat their homes, there are frequently exceptions. For the most recent limitations, check with your local health or air department.
To safeguard their health, people can do the following:
Adhere to local burn regulations to keep the quality of the air from declining.
Steer clear of physically demanding outdoor activities when the air quality is low.
– Young children and those with heart or lung conditions are particularly at risk. When there is a lot of smoke, these people should stay inside.
For indoor heating, ventilation, cooling, and air purification systems, use certified High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters.
If at all possible, stay away from wood-burning stoves and other indoor smoke sources.
Current air quality conditions are provided by DEQ’s color-coded Air Quality Index, which also assigns a ranking to the air quality. Green is good. Yellow is a mild color. Sensitive populations, including children, the elderly, pregnant women, and anyone with respiratory disorders, should avoid orange. Red is bad for everyone. All groups are severely harmed by purple. Maroon poses a risk.
Air quality alerts: Recommendations from the weather service
It’s critical to heed the weather service’s advice when an air quality signal is in force. The weather service offers the following easy advice to protect your health:
When possible, take refuge indoors:
Stay indoors if you can, especially if you have respiratory conditions or other health issues, or if you are a kid or an elderly person.
Reduce your exposure to the outdoors:
If you can’t avoid going outside, limit your time there to necessary activities. Exposure must be minimized.
Reduce acts that contribute to pollution:
Watch out for actions that increase pollution, like using gas-powered lawnmowers, driving cars, or other motorized vehicles. Use them sparingly when there is an air quality alert.
Put an end to open burning:
During air quality alerts, avoid starting fires with debris or any other items. Such actions just make the issue of bad air quality worse.
Keep yourself informed:
Listen to NOAA Weather Radio or your favorite weather news source to stay informed. Keeping yourself informed during air quality alerts enables you to make wise choices about outdoor activities.
The importance of respiratory health
Be very careful if you have underlying medical diseases or respiratory issues. These circumstances may make you more susceptible to the negative consequences of low air quality.
You can lessen your exposure to potentially dangerous pollutants and improve your safety during air quality alerts by following the weather service’s recommendations. Prioritize your health, be vigilant, and take precautions.
United Robots offers a service called Advance Local Weather Alerts that gathers the most recent information from the National Weather Service using machine learning.
