Air Quality Action Day for all 92 Indiana counties
- LATEST: Indianapolis will have a seventh straight day of unhealthy air quality, according to the city’s Office of Sustainability.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A statewide Air Quality Action Day has been issued due to smoke from Canadian wildfires.
High levels of fine particles were observed Wednesday in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and other Indiana cities, causing air quality issues that are expected to continue through the day Thursday, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management says.
- Weather Blog: Wildfire smoke makes for hazy conditions Thursday
The tiny particles, composed of “microscopic dust, soot, liquid, and smoke,” are smaller than the width of a human hair. If they deposit deep in the lungs, they become difficult to exhale, IDEM says.
Inhaling fine particles can cause coughing and difficulty breathing. Health risks are greater for individuals with heart or lung diseases such as congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, and asthma.
IDEM is encouraging these steps to help reduce the fine particles in the air:
- Avoid burning wood
- Reduce time outdoors
- Combine your errands into a single trip
- Don’t use “gasoline-powered snow removal equipment or gas-powered recreational vehicles”
- Don’t let your engine idle
- Turn off your lights or set your thermostat to 70 degrees or below
Visit the IDEM website to learn more about Air Quality Action Days.