PENNSYLVANIA, USA — A smoky haze lingered on the fields used for the PIAA Softball Quarterfinals on Thursday, as code red air quality conditions impacted sports both on the local and professional levels across Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) continued with several of their high school playoff matchups Thursday including their state quarterfinals for softball and baseball.
This comes a day after the PIAA postponed one lacrosse game on Wednesday due to the unhealthy air quality levels. The six other scheduled lacrosse playoff games that day continued as planned.
On the professional level, the York Revolution postponed Thursday’s matchup against the Staten Island Ferryhawks set to take place at WellSpan Park. The decision follows the cancellation of Wednesday’s Philadelphia Phillies game against the Detroit Tigers due to the hazardous conditions.
"High volume airflow through the lung tissue would be greatly irritated by the smoke and possibly the particulate matter that is floating through the air," said Mike Fleming, athletic trainer and owner of Fleming Athletics. "As the athletes are running around, they have possibly a greater chance of breathing difficulty."
In a statement, Acting Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen said, “Many of us really enjoy spending time outside, however, while the smoke from Canadian wildfires is affecting our air quality, we need to consider moving physical activities indoors or rescheduling them.”
The PIAA tells FOX43 they will take it on a case-by-case basis, allowing schools to reach out to them with regards to postponements if concerns about air quality come up.