The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has issued a high pollution advisory for the metro Phoenix area.
ADEQ issues these advisories when the amount of a pollutant in the air is expected to exceed the federal health standards set by the EPA. In this case, high levels of fine particulate matter, or PM 2.5, are posing a health risk to residents.
Air quality meteorologist Michael Graves said it’s due to a combination of people burning holiday fires and weather conditions.
“The best thing to do is to stay inside if you’re sensitive to PM 2.5 or limit the time you spend outside, or if you’re outside, to limit the amount of physical exertion that you’re using," Graves said. “PM 2.5 is really small. It can get into your lungs, into your bloodstream. It can aggravate already pre-existing lung conditions or heart conditions, cause coughing, wheezing, tightness in the chest or difficulty breathing.”
Older adults, children, and those with asthma should be especially cautious.
"We are expecting continued calm, cool conditions in the morning over the next several days, stagnant weather, so we'll just have to be monitoring those PM 2.5 levels on a daily basis," Graves said.
For updated forecasts from ADEQ, visit azdeq.gov/forecast/phoenix.
