The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has issued an air quality advisory for Marion and Umatilla counties, as well as the Portland-Vancouver metro area, due to elevated levels of ozone pollution, or smog.
At the same time, the agency is warning that intermittent smoke from wildfires burning in Oregon, California and Washington will impact much of the state, including Marion, Polk and Lane counties, until at least Friday.
Both smoke and smog can impact health.
DEQ officials said they expect air quality to be “unhealthy for sensitive groups” or worse in much of the state through Friday.
Oregon ranks air quality as good, moderate, unhealthy for sensitive groups, unhealthy, very unhealthy or hazardous.
Sensitive groups include children, people over 65, pregnant people and people with heart disease or respiratory conditions. Health officials recommend those groups limit outdoor activities when pollution levels are high.
DEQ monitors were showing air quality unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse Wednesday afternoon in Roseburg, LaPine, Klamath Falls and Government Camp. In Oakridge, southeast of Eugene, air quality was hazardous.