The Georgia Environmental Protection Division relayed a Code Orange air quality alert to the National Weather Service warning of high ozone levels.
What does the alert state?
The alert gives the following information:
…CODE ORANGE AIR QUALITY ALERT IS IN EFFECT FOR ATLANTA FOR
Wednesday June 28…
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental
Protection Division has issued a Code Orange (Unhealthy for
sensitive groups) Air Quality Alert for Atlanta for
Wednesday June 28.
Under Code Orange conditions, the outdoor air quality is likely to
be unhealthy for some people. Children, people who are sensitive to
ozone, and people with heart or lung disease should limit prolonged
outdoor exertion during the late afternoon or early evening when
ozone concentrations are highest.
For additional information on the Air Quality Index, please visit
http://airnow.gov.
The Courier has reprinted the explanation of the air quality index from the Airnow.gov website:
What is the U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI)?
The U.S. AQI is EPA’s index for reporting air quality.
How does the AQI work?
Think of the AQI as a yardstick that runs from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern. For example, an AQI value of 50 or below represents good air quality, while an AQI value over 300 represents hazardous air quality.
For each pollutant an AQI value of 100 generally corresponds to an ambient air concentration that equals the level of the short-term national ambient air quality standard for protection of public health. AQI values at or below 100 are generally thought of as satisfactory. When AQI values are above 100, air quality is unhealthy: at first for certain sensitive groups of people, then for everyone as AQI values get higher.
The AQI is divided into six categories. Each category corresponds to a different level of health concern. Each…
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