Air Quality Alert in Massachusetts on Wednesday

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The constant heat is lowering air quality here in western Massachusetts and across the country, which could be dangerous.

Central and eastern Hampden and Hampshire Counties have seen poor air quality since Tuesday and could continue until Friday. This is all due to the high heat and humidity.

This warning is for elevated Ozone, which you may know better as the main ingredient for Smog. Ground-level Ozone develops in the atmosphere when gases from car tailpipes, smoke stacks, and factories react with sunlight. It’s a gas molecule composed of three oxygen atoms which the atmosphere exerts like to say is “good up high, bad nearby.” High in the air, the ozone layer protects us from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, but if you breathe it in at ground level it causes damage to your lungs, both in the short term and long term.

Anyone who is exposed can experience shortness of breath by the end of the day, but pre-existing conditions like lung disease or pregnancy can make it worse. Older and younger people are also more at risk. Symptoms you experience are shortness of breath, wheezing, or coughing.

Tips to stay safe when there is poor air quality is to limit your outdoor activity or if you can stay indoors, wear a mask and check the air quality index throughout the day to know when it is safest to go outside.

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