Officials have told residents in three states to stay indoors this week due to severe air quality alerts and record-breaking heat.
Warnings issued by both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Weather Service (NWS), affected regions in California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Residents faced official advisories to avoid outdoor activities as poor air quality, driven by fine particulate pollution and ozone, as well as triple-digit temperatures, placed vulnerable populations at heightened risk.
Why It Matters
Air pollution and extreme heat pose significant risks to public health, particularly for children, seniors, and those with underlying respiratory or cardiovascular conditions. The latest advisories highlight the increasing frequency of hazardous weather and pollution events in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified extreme heat as one of the deadliest annual weather risks, causing an estimated 1,220 related deaths each year.
What To Know
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality issued a warning on Tuesday to alert residents that the Phoenix metro area would be facing hazardous air quality conditions.
“Ozone is an air contaminant which can cause breathing difficulties for children, older adults, as well as persons with respiratory problems,” the warning, circulated by the NWS, read.
“A decrease in physical activity is recommended. You are urged to car pool, telecommute or use mass transit. The use of gasoline-powered equipment should be reduced or done late in the day.”
Another warning also identified similar hazards in “areas downstream of the Trout Fire in Grant County in southwest New Mexico.”
“Everyone should avoid any outdoor exertion; people with respiratory disease such as asthma, should remain indoors. People with heart disease, symptoms such as a fast pulse or heartbeat, shortness of breath, or unusual weakness may indicate a health problem. If you have any of these, call your health care provider.”
According to the AirNow map of air quality in the region, several pockets of air that are “unhealthy for sensitive groups” are currently in circulation near Twentynine Palms and Victorville in Southern California.
These “orange” areas have also been reported in Arizona to the south of Phoenix.
What People Are Saying
Jonathan Grigg, professor of pediatric respiratory and environmental medicine at Queen Mary University of London, told Newsweek: “There are very clear links between inhaling particles and earlier death from both respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.”
Dr. Gregory Hartt, ER medical director at Mercy Medical Center Redding, California, told the Daily Mail in June: “As temperatures climb, we anticipate a corresponding increase in ER visits due to heat-related illnesses. A critical component of heat-wave preparedness is proactively ensuring adequate staffing levels, supplies, and cooling measures are in place to effectively manage the influx of patients.”
What Happens Next
Air quality indexes and heat advisories are updated regularly by the EPA and NWS. Residents in affected areas can access daily forecasts and health guidance via airnow.gov and local agencies, with officials providing current information as environmental conditions develop.
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