news release

 

ANDREW J. SPANO, Westchester County Executive

JOSHUA LIPSMAN, M.D., M.P.H., Commissioner of Health

 SUSAN TOLCHIN, Director of Communications

 

 

CONTACT:     SUSAN TOLCHIN                                                                            (914) 995-2932

                           MARY LANDRIGAN                                                                     (914) 813-5013

                                                                                                                                      (914) 813-5000 (After Hours)

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                  June 17, 2004          

 

AIR QUALITY ALERT ISSUED FOR WESTCHESTER COUNTY TODAY

 

            The Westchester County Department of Health today announced that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an air quality advisory for today, Thursday, June 17, 2004 until 2 a.m. on June 18, 2004 for the Metropolitan New York City region, which includes New York City, Rockland and Westchester. The pollutant of concern is fine particulate matter, PM2.5. 

The Westchester County Department of Health recommends that when outdoor levels of PM2.5 are elevated, going indoors may reduce your exposure, although some outdoor particles will come indoors.  Some ways to reduce exposure are to limit indoor and outdoor activities that produce fine particles (for example, burning candles indoors or open burning outdoors) and avoid strenuous activity when fine particle levels are high.  Contact your healthcare provider for specific recommendations if you are at particular risk. 

            Particulate matter or PM2.5 particles are able to travel deeply into the respiratory tract, reaching the lungs. Exposure to such fine particles can cause short-term health effects such as eye, nose, throat and lung irritation, coughing, sneezing, runny nose and shortness of breath. Exposure to such fine particles can also affect lung function and aggravate existing medical conditions such as asthma and heart disease. People with breathing and heart problems, children and the elderly may be particularly sensitive to PM2.5.   People without previous respiratory illnesses may not be negatively affected by the particulates in the air.

            Outdoor air levels of PM2.5 increase during periods of stagnant air (very little wind and air mixing), when the particles are not carried away by wind, or when winds bring polluted air into the state from sources

 

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Page 2 Air Quality Alert

outside the area. In general, as the levels of PM 2.5 in outdoor air increase, the air appears hazy and visibility is reduced. These conditions are similar in appearance to high humidity or fog.

            Sources of  PM2.5 the exhausts of cars, trucks, buses and off-road vehicles (e.g., construction equipment, snowmobiles, locomotives).  In New York State, some of the fine particles measured in the air are carried by wind from out-of-state sources.  Because these fine particles can be carried long distances from their source, events such as wildfires or volcanic eruptions can raise fine particle concentrations hundreds of miles from the event.  PM2.5 is also produced by common indoor activities. Some indoor sources of fine particles are tobacco smoke, cooking (e.g., frying, sautéing, and broiling), burning candles or oil lamps, and operating fireplaces and fuel-burning space heaters (e.g., kerosene heaters).

            For more information on PM2.5, contact the Westchester County Department of Health at (914) 813-5000 or visit www.westchestergov,com/health.

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