NHDES Declares Air Quality Action Day

Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) is expecting air pollution concentrations to reach unhealthy levels for sensitive individuals in Coastal Areas of Rockingham County on Saturday, July 23, and Sunday, July 24. NHDES officials are calling for Air Quality Action Days and advising sensitive individuals in this area to take precautions to protect their health by limiting prolonged outdoor exertion. Sensitive individuals include children and older adults; anyone with lung disease such as asthma, emphysema, or bronchitis; and people who are active outdoors. Even non-sensitive individuals could experience mild health effects and may want to consider limiting strenuous or prolonged outdoor activities.

NHDES forecasts that concentrations of ground-level ozone (the main component of smog) will rise to levels that are unhealthy for sensitive individuals during afternoon and evening hours in the above-mentioned region. Winds are predicted to transport air pollution from Boston and other upwind urban areas to the New Hampshire seacoast. High temperatures and sunny skies enhance the creation of ozone from these precursor pollutants. Ozone is expected to pool over the Gulf of Maine and be brought onshore by afternoon seabreezes. Air quality is expected to improve on Monday as cloud cover increases and temperatures cool.

Symptoms of ozone exposure may include coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, or pain when inhaling deeply. People with asthma and other existing lung diseases may not be able to breathe as deeply or vigorously as normal and may experience symptoms such as coughing and shortness of breath. The symptom severity can increase as air pollutant concentrations increase.
For further information, call NHDES at (603) 271-1370. For air quality forecasts and current air pollution levels in New Hampshire, call 1-800-935-SMOG or visit the NHDES website.