The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has declared a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for ozone for Saturday in the Lehigh Valley. Berks, Lehigh, and Northampton counties are affected.

A strong area of high pressure, plenty of sunshine, and high temperatures near 90 degrees will likely contribute to 8-hour average concentrations of ozone in the Code Orange range on Saturday.

An Air Quality Action Day is declared when the AQI is forecasted to be Code Orange or higher. On an Air Quality Action Day, young children, the elderly, and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index provides standardized color codes for forecasting and reporting daily air quality. Green signifies good air quality; Yellow means moderate air quality; Orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive groups of people; and Red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all.

Residents and businesses within the Air Quality Action Day areas are strongly encouraged to voluntarily help reduce ozone air pollution by:

Driving less by carpooling or using public transportation;

Combining errands to reduce vehicle trips;

Limiting engine idling;

Refueling cars and trucks after dusk; and

Conserving electricity by setting air conditioning to a higher temperature and turning off lights that are not in use.