Air Quality Code Orange

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has declared Saturday as a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for ozone in Butler County.

Also in Western Pennsylvania, the alert includes Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington, Westmoreland and Mercer counties.

A strong area of high pressure, sunshine and high temperatures near 90 degrees will likely contribute to eight-hour average concentrations of ozone in the Code Orange range Saturday.

Code Orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive groups of people.

On an Air Quality Action Day, young children, the elderly and those with respiratory problems like asthma, emphysema and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities.

Residents and businesses within the Air Quality Action Day areas are encouraged to voluntarily help reduce ozone air 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.