Health advisory issued for air quality due to smoke

air-quality-alert

The North Central Idaho Public Health District at Lewiston issued a health advisory Thursday morning related to degraded air quality caused by smoke from regional wildfires. 

Wildfire smoke is expected to continue for the next several days and result in varying degrees of reduced air quality. 

According to the advisory, smoke has plunged air quality in several communities into the “unhealthy” category. Agency officials are urging people to monitor air quality when planning outdoor activities. The agency advises older adults, infants, children and people with medical conditions such as asthma, lung disease and heart disease to reduce outdoor activity when air quality is moderate or worse. People who use inhalers for asthma or other conditions should keep them close at hand. Everyone is advised to seek medical treatment for uncontrolled coughing, wheezing, choking or if breathing difficulties continue after they move indoors. 

Daily updates on air quality conditions at various locations in Idaho are available on the Department of Environmental Quality’s Air Quality website at www.airquality.deq.idaho.gov.

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