Unhealthful air quality in the Nutmeg State today

Hello, and welcome to the premier post for Connecticut Green Living. So sorry we're starting off on a miserable note, but that's the state of our warming planet. The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection as well as EPA New England have issued air quality alerts for today. Following is what the EPA stated in their press release: News Release U.S. Environmental Protection Agency New England Regional Office July 21, 2016 Contact: Emily Bender, (617) 918-1037 Poor Air Quality Expected for Coastal New England on Friday BOSTON – New England state air quality forecasters are predicting air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups, due to ground-level ozone, in much of southern New England for Friday, July 22. The areas that are predicted to exceed the Federal air quality standard for ozone on Friday are: Connecticut (excluding Litchfield County), Rhode Island, south-central and eastern Massachusetts (excluding Cape Cod and the Islands), and coastal Maine from Kittery up to Acadia National Park. “With the continued hot, summery weather we are experiencing, our forecasts predict that a lot of coastal New England will likely have unhealthy air quality tomorrow,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office. “EPA and the medical community suggest that people limit their strenuous outdoor activity when poor air quality is expected. On these days, people can also help reduce emissions by choosing to carpool, use public transportation, and limit the use of electricity during peak electrical use hours.” Ground-level ozone forms when volatile organic compounds and oxides of nitrogen (ozone precursors) interact in the presence of strong sunshine. Cars, trucks and buses give off the majority of the pollution create ozone. Gasoline stations, print shops, household products like paints and some cleaners, as well as lawn and garden equipment also add to the ozone problem. When ozone is forecast to be unhealthy for sensitive groups, EPA asks the public to take action. The public can help reduce ozone by: - use public transportation or walk whenever possible; - combine errands and car-pool to reduce driving time and mileage; - use less electricity by turning air conditioning to a higher temperature setting, and turning off lights, TVs and computers when they are not being used; and - avoid using small gasoline-powered engines, such as lawn mowers, string trimmers, chain saws, power-washers, air compressors and leaf blowers on unhealthy air days. Exposure to elevated ozone levels can cause breathing problems, aggravate asthma and other pre-existing lung diseases, and make people more susceptible to respiratory infection. When ozone levels are elevated, people should refrain from strenuous outdoor activity, especially sensitive populations such as children and adults with respiratory problems. On October 1, 2015, EPA strengthened the ozone standard to a more protective level of 0.070 parts per million (ppm). This level is chosen, because it is requisite to protect public health. The older standard did not provide the same level of health protection. So far this year, there have been 15 days in New England when ozone concentrations have exceeded the standard (an exceedance). More information: - Preliminary list of this summer’s ozone exceedances: http://www3.epa.gov/region1/airquality/o3exceed-16.html - Real-time ozone data and air quality forecasts; also sign up to receive free air quality alert e-mails: https://www3.epa.gov/region1/airquality/forecast.html - National real-time air quality data, free iPhone and Android apps http://www.airnow.gov/ .... Yesterday, this writer was told she looked "flushed" when asking for water at Stop 'n Shop in Milford. Looking in the mirror, indeed, the sight was a bit scary: pink skin juxtaposed with blue-blue veins, coupled with a dizzy head. I walked it off inside the cool store, vowing to never again walk two miles in such weather. Please do check in on elderly friends, neighbors, and family members as well as any person you see over-exerting themselves, as happened with me yesterday. Share your stories of the heatwave with me in Comments.

Caption: Milford, Connecticut: stunning, but scorching hot! Took this photo about 2 weeks ago. - Laurie Wiegler