Pittsburgh Air Quality Alert Issued

PITTSBURGH, PA — The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has issued a Code Orange air quality alert for Tuesday for the Pittsburgh region, which includes Allegheny, Butler, Beaver, Armstrong, Washington, Westmoreland and Fayette counties.

A Code Orange air quality alert means that pollution concentrations within the region may become unhealthy for sensitive groups. Sensitive groups include children, the elderly, and people suffering from asthma, heart disease, or other lung diseases.

The effects of air pollution can be minimized by avoiding outdoor exercise or strenuous activity.

People can help reduce ozone pollution by:

• Driving less by carpooling or using public transportation;
• Combining errands to reduce vehicle trips;
• Limiting engine idling;
• Refueling cars and trucks after dusk; and
• Conserving electricity by setting air conditioning to a higher temperature and turning off lights that are not in use.