Code Red air quality alert downgraded to Code Orange for North Carolina
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Smoke from Canadian wildfires is causing air quality concerns in North Carolina.
ABC11 Air Quality Tracker
Wednesday brought the first Code Red air quality alert to North Carolina since 2012.
However, by the early afternoon the air quality alert had been downgraded to Code Orange.
Code Red alerts mean the air is unhealthy for the general public. Code Orange means the air quality is suboptimal and could cause problems for older adults, younger children and people with respiratory conditions.
Air quality problems will remain through the week, with Code Orange conditions expected Thursday and Friday.
WHAT'S THE BIGGEST CONCERN?
Air quality alerts are triggered by a number of factors, including the detection of fine-particle pollution - known as "PM 2.5" - which can irritate the lungs.
"We have defenses in our upper airway to trap larger particles and prevent them from getting down into the lungs. These are sort of the right size to get past those defenses," said Dr. David Hill, a pulmonologist in Waterbury, Connecticut, and a member of the American Lung Association's National Board of Directors. "When those particles get down into the respiratory space, they cause the body to have an inflammatory reaction to them."
Trent Ford, the state climatologist in Illinois, said the atmospheric conditions in the upper Midwest creating dry, warm weather made it possible for small particulates to travel hundreds of miles from the Canadian wildfires and linger for days.
"It's a good example of how complex the climate system is but also how connected it is," Ford said.
WHO SHOULD BE CAREFUL?
Exposure to elevated fine particle pollution levels can affect the lungs and heart.
The air quality alerts caution "sensitive groups," a big category that includes children, older adults, and people with lung diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Kids, who often are encouraged to go out and play, "are more susceptible to smoke for a number of reasons," said Laura Kate Bender, the lung association's National Assistant Vice President, healthy air. "Their lungs are still developing, they breathe in more air per unit of body weight."
SEE ALSO | Canadian fires bring dangerous air quality to the US, impacting millions of Americans
WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR NOW?
It's a good time to put off that yard work and outdoor exercise. If you go out, consider wearing an N95 mask to reduce your exposure to pollutants.
Stay inside, keeping your doors, windows and fireplaces shut. It's recommended that you run the air conditioning on a recirculation setting.
"If you have filters on your home HVAC system, you should make sure they're up to date and high quality," Hill said. "Some people, particularly those with underlying lung disease, or heart disease, should consider investing in in air purifiers for their homes."
WATCH: Big Weather breaks down Code Red air quality alert
Source: WTVD-TV
