News

STATE ISSUES AIR QUALITY WARNING

By Bill Moss, Published: November 13, 2016

The Henderson County Department of Health urged residents to take precautions related to the deteriorating air quality in Henderson County associated with a number of intensifying wildfires in the western North Carolina region.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has issued a Code Orange Air Quality alert until midnight on Sunday. Code Orange indicates that sufficient smoke is present to impact active children and adults and that air quality is unhealthy for people with respiratory diseases and heart disease.

It is important to remember that some people are more susceptible than others. Sensitive populations include:

• Individuals with asthma or other respiratory disease
• Individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Individuals with airway hyper responsiveness
• Individuals with cardiovascular disease
• Elderly individuals
• Young children
• Pregnant women
• Smokers

When smoke is present to the degree that it limits visibility, please consider taking a number of steps including:

• Pay attention to local weather and news reports for changing conditions
• Stay inside as much as possible with windows and doors shut
• Limit physical exertion outdoors
• Asthmatics should follow their asthma management plan
• Keep airways moist by drinking lots of water

For more information, please call the Henderson County Department of Public Health at (828) 692-4223.