Why health officials are urging New Yorkers to stay indoors today
If your Tuesday plans involved a long run, an afternoon pickleball match or simply spending several sweaty hours wandering around outside, New York health officials have a suggestion: Maybe take it indoors.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Health have issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for New York City and Long Island for today, July 14, as elevated ozone levels are expected to push air quality into unhealthy territory for some New Yorkers. The advisory is in effect from 11am through 11pm and covers all five boroughs, plus Rockland, Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk counties.
The pollutant causing today’s problems is ground-level ozone, which, unlike wildfire smoke, isn’t necessarily something you’ll see hanging dramatically over the skyline. Ozone is a colorless gas that forms when sunlight causes a reaction between pollutants, including nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds, from car exhaust and industrial emissions. (Basically, hot, sunny summer weather can cook pollution into smog.)
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State officials issue an Air Quality Health Advisory when pollution levels are expected to exceed an Air Quality Index value of 100, which is when the air quality becomes unhealthy for sensitive groups, including children and teens, older adults, pregnant people, people with asthma or other heart and lung conditions and anyone exercising or working strenuously outside.
Those groups should consider making outdoor activities shorter and less intense, taking more breaks or moving plans indoors, especially during the afternoon and early evening, when ozone levels are generally highest. Anyone experiencing coughing, shortness of breath or chest pain should consider contacting their doctor.
Heading inside can actually help, too. According to the state, indoor ozone levels are typically lower when outdoor concentrations are elevated. During hot-weather pollution events, officials recommend seeking an air-conditioned indoor space or, if necessary, visiting a cooling center.
New Yorkers are also being asked to do their tiny part to keep the problem from getting worse. That means taking mass transit or carpooling when possible, combining car trips, turning off lights and unused appliances and saving energy-intensive chores like running the dishwasher or dryer until after 7pm. If you’re blasting the A/C, the state’s recommended thermostat setting is 78 degrees.
Ozone levels generally fall after dark, so the air should get a little more forgiving later tonight. Until then, check the AQI like you check the weather—and consider this your official permission slip to skip that outdoor workout.
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