How To Check Air Quality In The Point Pleasant Area

POINT PLEASANT, NJ — As smoke from Canadian wildfires lingers over the Northeast, air in the Point Pleasant area has improved to "moderate" levels of pollutants, according to environmental officials.

An "Air Quality Action Day" has been issued statewide by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection through Friday. It is at the "unhealthy" level, meaning that air pollution concentrations within the region could be unhealthy for sensitive groups as well as members of the general public.

And, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection issued a Code Red Air Quality Action Day for fine particulates, which has been extended until Friday at 11:59 p.m.

With the amount of smoke and air pollution in the atmosphere it will be difficult for some sensitive groups (children, the elderly, people with breathing conditions) to do normal activities outside. And, even those adults without lung conditions may feel irritation in their eyes, nose, and throat.

The frequency, extent and severity of wildfires mark important indicators of climate change, environmental officials say. The peak of the nation’s wildfire season is also occurring earlier — peaking in August from 1984-2001 and then in July from 2002-20, according to research from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Check Your Air Quality

AirNow.gov, which reports air quality using the official U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI), has an updated map of air quality in the U.S.

As of Friday morning, the site shows New Jersey counties have a mix of "moderate" and "unhealthy" levels of air pollution.

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.

The AQI scale is as follows:

• Good/green: 0-50
• Moderate/yellow: 51-100
• Unhealthy for sensitive groups/orange: 101-150
• Unhealthy/red: 151-200
• Very unhealthy/purple: 201-300
• Hazardous/maroon: 301-500

As of Friday morning, Point Pleasant's AQI is 95, down from over 200 Thursday.

AirNow was forecasting an AQI of 150 for Friday in Ocean County — unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Related article: When Will The Smoke Clear In NJ?

AirNow partners with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Park Service, NASA, Centers for Disease Control, and tribal, state, and local air quality agencies.

There are approximately 160 wildfires burning across Quebec, part of a wider group of more than 300 fires across the country that some are calling Canada's worst fire season ever.

Quebec's fire prevention agency has said high temperatures and dry conditions have contributed to the raging fire season.

Previous fires in Nova Scotia and Alberta have sent smoke into New Jersey, prompting air quality warnings.

This article contains additional reporting by Michelle Rotuno-Johnson.