Citing an expected increase in ozone levels, state environmental officials are issuing an air quality alert, effective from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday, for eastern Hampden, eastern Hampshire and southern Worcester counties.
The Department of Environmental Protection on Wednesday morning said the air in those counties “is expected to be unhealthy for sensitive groups,” including people with heart or lung disease such as asthma, older adults, children, teens, and people who are active outdoors.
The alert arrives on the front end of what looks like a heat wave that is beginning to unfold across the state.
State officials advised people in sensitive groups to “reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion, take more breaks and do less intense activities and follow asthma action plans and keep quick relief medicine handy. Watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath.”
Ozone is a gas that occurs at ground level and in the upper atmosphere, according to the DEP. At ground level, ozone is a pollutant that can harm human health, while in the stratosphere ozone forms a layer that protects life on Earth from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. DEP says the “good” ozone in the upper atmosphere is “gradually being destroyed by man-made chemicals referred to as ozone-depleting substances, including chlorofluorocarbons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, and halons.”
On Tuesday, Boston Mayor Kim Janey declared a heat emergency in the city, beginning Wednesday and lasting through Friday.
“When it is this dangerously hot during the day and the temperatures do not drop at night, your body doesn’t have time to recover,” Janey said. “I am urging everyone to drink lots of water and find ways to stay cool. Anyone who needs a place to beat the heat can come inside and rest in the air conditioning at one of our cooling centers.”
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