There is an Air Quality Alert for Thursday (6/17/2021) in Louisville and Southern Indiana. Ozone is forecast to be Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (seniors, children, and people with breathing ailments like asthma and COPD). The general public is not likely to be affected.
Stagnant Summer Days Build Up Ozone
Ever wonder why some days are Air Quality Alert days and others aren’t? Air Quality Alerts during Kentuckiana summers are often for the pollutant ozone.
Ozone is more readily formed on warm, sunny days when the air is stagnant. Conversely, ozone production is more limited when it is cloudy, cool, rainy, or windy. Air quality forecasters provide calculated predictions of the air quality. When there’s a good chance ozone (or particulate matter) will reach 100 or higher on the Air Quality Index, an Air Quality Alert is issued for our area.
You can help clean the air during Air Quality Alerts by driving less and putting off mowing with gasoline-powered lawn equipment.
Air Quality Alert for Saturday, May 22, Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
There is an Air Quality Alert for Saturday (5/22/2021) in Louisville and Southern Indiana. Ozone is forecast to be Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (seniors, children, and people with breathing ailments like asthma and COPD). The general public is not likely to be affected.
Holy Cross Students Help the Air
Holy Cross High School students learned how to check tire pressure to help the air during a recent KAIRE visit. It’s important for young drivers to learn good habits right from the start, like being Idle Free, checking tire pressure and doing vehicle maintenance on schedule for cleaner, more efficient driving. Checking tire pressure improves gas mileage and keeps your tires from wearing unevenly. Nobody wants to replace tires more often or risk a blowout while on the way to work or school. KAIRE is happy to visit your school if you’d like to learn more about your impact on the air quality in your school community.
Time to Head Outdoors for a Health Break
There’s never been a bigger need for time spent with nature. Spending time outdoors has a wide range of mental and physical health benefits.
Walking among or simply looking at trees lowers blood pressure and reduces the stress-related hormones cortisol and adrenaline.
Light tends to elevate people’s mood, and there’s usually more light available outside than in. Physical activity has been shown to help people relax and cheer up, so if being outside replaces inactive pursuits with active ones, it might also mean more smiles.
Can’t concentrate at work? Leave your office for a few minutes and go stroll in a nearby park. Walking in nature helps restore our focus.
Fresh air and sunshine can make a real difference in our lives. Considering all that nature does for us, it only makes sense that we protect and appreciate the natural resources around us.
Small changes, like reducing idling, carrying a refillable water bottle and driving less can make a big difference in preserving the natural world around us.
