The health risks that come along with air pollution have been on the minds of Delawareans much more this summer than in years past.
Multiple stints of smog passing through from Canadian wildfires have impacted the state’s air quality for the worse. But even when there’s not a haze from fires up north, the air may still be unsafe due to ozone pollution.
While code reds have been issued this summer for levels of particulate matter pollution in the air, ozone levels are also tracked daily and typically contribute to poor air quality on hot, sunny days in the summer.
Here’s the best advice on how to mitigate health risks during Delaware’s ozone season, which runs through the end of September.
Advice to avoid risks of ozone pollution
Keeping track of ozone levels through the state’s daily tracker and the Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow website are the two best ways to plan ahead. But for those with existing health conditions that must spend time outdoors on moderate or high ozone days like construction workers, DNREC’s Division of Air Quality Director Angela Marconi recommends being prepared at all times.
“My first recommendation is always to keep your medicine handy,” she said. “If you have an inhaler or you have something that helps you to breathe, make sure you have it on hand.”
Limiting outdoor activity during peak sunlight hours in the mid-afternoon and early evening is a way to decrease exposure to the effects of high ozone levels.
“Ozone tends to increase throughout the day and peak in early evening or late afternoon,” Marconi said. “That’s a function of it forming in the sunlight.”
The EPA has an air quality guide for ozone in which there are six categories: green, yellow, orange, red, purple and maroon.
Orange days are particularly dangerous to those with lung diseases, older adults and children. As of July 10, there have been three days this summer in which the ozone has reached the orange level across Delaware.
The EPA recommends the following to protect your health during high ozone days:
- Take more breaks during outdoor activities.
- Move outdoor activities to the morning or another day with a lower ozone level.
- Move activities indoors if possible.
- Do less intensive outdoor activities.
Work in construction? Tips for beating the ozone
While remaining indoors and avoiding the outside air during the hottest part of the day is advised, it’s not always feasible for those that work outside for a full shift — such as construction workers.
And as University of Delaware professor Cristina Archer noted, when the EPA shifted to tracking ozone levels over an eight-hour average, it was an indication that people should likely be “more concerned about prolonged exposure” than quick exposure to high ozone levels.
However, construction workers, gardeners and other outdoors workers are susceptible to that lengthened exposure and the most dangerous hours during the middle of the day.
Delaware Department of Transportation spokesperson C.R. McLeod said the department has protocols in place for poor air quality days for state construction workers. Below are the guidelines he shared.
Red Alert Days
- Caution and limit exposure for staff with assignments for outdoor operations
- For staff that work outside: provide frequent breaks, check on staff throughout the day and make KN95 masks available for employees
Purple and Maroon Alert Days
- Cash toll collectors in New Castle and Kent County are pulled from toll booths
- Division of Motor Vehicles inspection lanes and road testing close
- Field staff respond only to essential/emergency calls
- Field staff limit their exposure outside and take frequent breaks
- If staff must be outside, highly encourage wearing a KN95 mask – masks are provided by the department.
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