City Issues Air Quality Advisory
September 14, 2011
The City of Jacksonville’s Environmental and Compliance Department issued an air quality alert Tuesday, Sept. 13, due to an excess of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for fine particulate matter. Elevated levels of particulate matter are a result of the wildfires that are burning in adjacent counties.
Children, the elderly and sensitive individuals should take steps to avoid exposure by staying inside or refraining from strenuous outdoor activity. If exercising outdoors, substituting less vigorous exercise (taking a walk instead of a jog, for example) can be helpful. In addition, outdoor activities should be planned for times when particulate levels are lower.
The City of Jacksonville’s Environmental Quality Division is also banning all open burning in Duval County to reduce the generation of particulate matter.
The City of Jacksonville’s Environmental Quality Division maintains a dedicated website that includes the most up-to-date Air Quality Index information for the city. Links included on the website will redirect visitors to the EPA AIRNOW website, which collects the Environmental Quality Division’s data and provides the most current ozone air quality data and air quality forecast for the City of Jacksonville. This information may be found at www.coj.net by typing in the keywords ambient air monitoring activity.