Air Quality Action Days Forecast for Berks/Lehigh, Susquehanna Valley, Philadelphia...

Air Quality Action Days Forecast for Berks/Lehigh, Susquehanna Valley,
Philadelphia Regions

Residents, Businesses Encouraged to Reduce Air Pollution

HARRISBURG, Pa., June 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of
Environmental Protection and its regional air quality partnerships announced
today that air quality action days are forecast for Saturday in the
Philadelphia region and Monday in the Berks/Lehigh Valley and Susquehanna
Valley regions.

The Air Quality Partnership of the Delaware Valley has issued a code RED
forecast for Saturday for Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and
Montgomery counties, and anticipates unhealthy levels of ozone to continue
through the weekend. Action days may also be announced for Sunday and Monday.

The air quality forecast says Monday will be code ORANGE for ozone in the
Berks/Lehigh Valley and Susquehanna Valley areas.
-- The Berks/Lehigh Valley region includes Berks, Lehigh and Northampton
counties; and
-- The Susquehanna Valley region includes Cumberland, Lebanon, Dauphin,
Lancaster and York counties.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's standardized air quality index uses
colors to report daily air quality (green signifies good, yellow means
moderate, orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive people,
and red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all). Air quality action days
are declared at orange and red when fine particulate matter reaches unhealthy
levels.

Ground-level ozone, a key component of smog, forms during warm weather when
pollution from vehicles, industry, households and power plants "bakes" in the
hot sun, making it hard for some people to breathe.

On air quality action days, young children, the elderly and people with
respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis, are especially
vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor
activities.

To help keep the air healthy, residents and businesses are encouraged to
voluntarily limit certain pollution-producing activities by taking the
following steps:
-- Ride the bus or carpool to work;
-- Avoid burning leaves, trash and other materials;
-- Wash dishes and clothes with full loads; and
-- Save energy -- do not overcool your home.

These forecasts are provided in conjunction with the Air Quality Partnership
of the Delaware Valley, the Southwest Pennsylvania Air Quality Partnership,
the Lehigh Valley/Berks Air Quality Partnership, and the Susquehanna Valley
Air Quality Partnership.

For more information on ozone, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us, keyword: ozone.
To view the air quality forecast, for more information on the Air Quality
Partnerships, or to sign up to receive free daily forecasts by e-mail, visit
www.aqpartners.org.

CONTACT:Tom Rathbun
717-787-1323

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

Tom Rathbun of Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection,
+1-717-787-1323