An air quality alert spanning much of eastern Nebraska has prompted health advisories for children and other vulnerable groups to limit or avoid outdoor activities through Wednesday morning, as smoke from prescribed burns drives pollution to potentially harmful levels.
Why It Matters
Children are especially susceptible to poor air quality due to their developing lungs and higher rates of air intake during physical activity. When pollution levels reach the “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” category on the Air Quality Index (AQI), even brief exposure outdoors can result in coughing, difficulty breathing and aggravated asthma. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this level of air pollution particularly affects children, older adults and those with lung or heart conditions.
What To Know
The National Weather Service (NWS) and Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) have issued an Air Quality Alert . in effect from 9 p.m. Tuesday through 10 a.m. Wednesday across more than 50 counties, including Douglas, Lancaster, Sarpy, Gage and Dodge. Smoke from prescribed burning across the central plains has elevated concentrations of fine particulates (PM2.5), triggering concern for air quality to reach “Moderate” to “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” levels.
Local health officials warn that those who are unusually sensitive may begin feeling symptoms even under “Moderate” conditions, like shortness of breath and coughing. Monitoring data from stations in Omaha, Lincoln, Bellevue and other communities supports the advisory, based on real-time forecasts, satellite imagery and smoke plume modeling.
Similar warnings were issued in other parts of the country this month. Nearly 1 million children in Texas were advised to limit outdoor activity over the weekend, as pollution from ozone reached the orange AQI level in Houston, Austin and El Paso…