A Code Orange alert has been issued for much of the Mon Valley area, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.
The agency on Thursday said the air quality alert is necessary due to a concerning amount of fine particulate matter, which it said will most affect Clairton, Glassport, Liberty, Lincoln and Port Vue on Friday.
The color code is part of the federal Environmental Protection Agency's Air Quality Index. Orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive groups of people, which includes children, the elderly, and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis. Those groups should limit outdoor activities.
The DEP said the alert is based on a forecast for Friday in which "a strong meteorological inversion expected in the morning, coupled with calm winds, will result in daily average fine particulate matter concentrations reaching the Code Orange range, with the highest concentrations expected Friday morning before the inversion breaks up late in the morning."
To help reduce air pollution during the alerts, the DEP encourages resident and businesses to: Reduce or eliminate fireplace and wood stove use; avoiding the open burning of leaves, trash and other materials; and avoid the use of gas-powered lawn and garden equipment.
Additional alerts may be issued in the upcoming days, as "high pressure building across the northeastern United States will cause the air stagnation pattern to continue," according to the DEP.
First Published: November 5, 2020, 11:17 p.m.