An Air Quality Action Day will be in effect overnight Monday into Tuesday for Johnson County.
Forecasters with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management are expecting the levels of fine particles, PM2.5, to be in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, or Orange, range. The alert is specific to the time frame of 8 p.m Monday through 8 a.m. Tuesday and specific to central and east-central Indiana, according to a news release.
The action daay was issued because of a “short-term, isolated event that may not exceed the 24-hour standard for PM2.5,” officials say.
IDEM is preliminarily forecasting elevated levels of PM2.5 in the air overnight due to a “very stable/stagnant” air mass which, if combined with any low levels of transported smoke that, in addition to residents burning leaves or other debris, could increase the likelihood of a buildup of PM2.5, particularly in urban areas, officials say.
PM2.5 is composed of microscopic dust, soot, and liquid that settles deep into the lungs and cannot be easily exhaled. Those people at risk are particularly vulnerable after several days of high PM2.5 exposure or shorter-term risks from exposure to pollutants from a large smoke release, according to the news release.
More air quality information can be found at SmogWatch.in.gov or by going to AirNow.gov.
