ITHACA, N.Y. (WHCU) – The DEC has upgraded its Air Quality Advisory to an Air Quality Alert and extended it by a day.

The alert, which comes as a result of tiny particles in the air from Canadian wildfires, is now in effect through Wednesday, June 7, 2023, and expires at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, June 8, 2023. The Tompkins County Health Department says the Air Quality Index has ‘progressed to scale above 201,’ which can affect all individuals, not just high-risk groups.

Health professionals recommend healthy people choose less strenuous outdoor activities, shorten the amount of time you are outdoors, or wait until air quality is better. High-risk groups, like the elderly, the very young, and people with preexisting respiratory problems like asthma or heart disease, are advised to avoid all physical activity outdoors.

“Particle pollution can cause serious health problems, including asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, and early death,” said Tompkins County Whole Health Commissioner Frank Kruppa. “It is advised to avoid outdoor physical activities if you have lung conditions, such as asthma, heart conditions, or other related health concerns. We advise our community to stay up to date on the ongoing air quality situation, as we move from a Health Advisory into a Health Alert.”

High quality mask use is recommended, which includes N95 and KN95 masks. Cloth and surgical masks are ineffective at reducing the inhalation of fine particles in the air. You can track air quality here. You can get updates and alerts sent directly to your mobile phone by signing up for Tompkins SIREN.