YORK, Pa. — The haze from the Canadian wildfires, once again, hangs in the skies of South Central Pa., forcing the Commonwealth to declare a Code Red alert. This is the second time the state has declared a Code Red since the beginning of June.
“I think, fortunately, it’s not much of an issue for me personally," said Eric Barr, a York Township resident. "But folks who have underlying conditions need to be aware of these things so they can temper their activities outside."
“I didn’t even know the fires were continuing in Canada, honestly," said Rhonda Jones, a York Township resident.
Despite Pennsylvania officials declaring another Code Red, people in one York County park largely continued about their day. Several of them pointed out how Wednesday's air quality wasn't nearly as bad as it was earlier in June, during the first Code Red alert.
“A couple weeks ago, it was really bad," said Jones. "This? It’s not bad.”
Dr. Santosh Nepal, the medical director of pulmonology at UPMC Carlisle, is still encouraging people to take the air quality alert seriously. He says the health system saw more people come in for troubled breathing during the last Code Red days.
“These were patients who already had an existing condition. Most common was asthma or COPD," said Dr. Nepal.
The air quality website AirNow.gov has the following tips for dealing with Code Red Air Quality Conditions:
People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens – take any of these steps to reduce your exposure:
- Avoid strenuous outdoor activities.
- Keep outdoor activities short.
- Consider moving physical activities indoors or rescheduling them.
Everyone else – take any of these steps to reduce your exposure:
- Choose less strenuous activities (like walking instead of running) so you don’t breathe as hard.
- Shorten the amount of time you are active outdoors.
- Be active outdoors when air quality is better.
The Code Red alert is forecasted to continue until midnight on Friday.