Code Orange Ozone Action/Ozone Health Watch Day‏

Salam Mohamed

Below is the e-mail the City of Philadelphia sent to us concerning the Ozone level in the air
today and tomorrow. Please pass the information to our community.

Thanks
----- Forwarded by Ali Bashir/DHS/Phila on 06/23/2010 08:53 AM -----
City of Philadelphia
06/22/2010 07:09 PM
To City of Philadelphia
cc
Subject Code Orange Ozone Action/Ozone Health Watch Day






The Air Quality Partnership of the Delaware Valley and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Air Management Services, have forecasted that JUNE 23, 2010 is a CODE ORANGE OZONE ACTION/OZONE HEALTH WATCH DAY. Regional ground-level ozone is expected to exceed the federal health-based air quality standard. According to meteorologists, the weather pattern is ideal for the formation of unhealthy levels of ozone in the lower atmosphere.

Ozone is formed when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants, and other sources react chemically in the presence of sunlight.

Active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.

Take action to reduce ground-level ozone formation:

• Conserve electricity and set your air conditioner at a higher temperature.
• Choose a cleaner commute—share a ride to work or use public transportation. Bicycle or walk to errands when possible.
• Refuel cars and trucks after dusk, and don’t “top off” your tank.
• Combine errands and reduce trips.
• Avoid vehicle idling and jackrabbit starts.
• If you must drive, try to avoid congested periods.
• Maintain your vehicle’s emission control equipment.
• Postpone the use of gasoline-powered mowers until evening.
• Avoid lighting your barbecue with starter fluid.
• Use latex rather than oil-based paints.
• Use household, workshop, and garden chemicals in ways that keep evaporation to a minimum, or try to delay using them when poor air quality is forecast.

In addition, Philadelphia's Air Quality Website, located at http://www.phila.gov/aqi/ provides the most up-to-date information about the air quality in Philadelphia and lets you know what you should do to protect your health if the air quality is unhealthy. The tool used to show this is the Air Quality Index (AQI) developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

If you have co-workers without access to the City’s e-mail system, please do them a favor and share this message with them!